Burning Roses
by zealous-obsession
Summary: After spending the summer with Krum, Hermione returns to school with a secret... and a stalker...
1. Confrontation

A/N: I'm writing this story with one of my best buds, Jen or Jenalla as I call her. She wrote this chapter and I will be writing the next and she'll write the one after that, so on and so forth. Tell me what you think in a review, that would be great.  
  
Burning Roses By Jenalla and Zealous  
  
"Harry!" At the sound of his name, he jerked his head up, eyes scanning the platform for the face to the ever-familiar voice he knew only too well. Catching sight of her long dirty blond locks and sparkling honey eyes, he made his way towards her through the tightly packed crowd. When he finally reached her, he pulled her in for a tight embrace, trying to resist the urge to pick her up and twirl her around. He doubted his fellow classmates would appreciate it, seeing how close together they were.  
  
"Hey 'Mione. I've missed you a lot," he whispered in her ear. "It gets rather lonely when you have no one correcting every other word that comes out of your mouth." He ducked Hermione's playful swat.  
  
"Harry, you prat!" She said with about all the indignation that she could muster, although her eyes were twinkling with laughter. "I think I've just been insulted."  
  
"What! By who? C'mon 'Mione, tell me who it was, and I'll bash their bloody brains in," he said mockingly.  
  
"Well, let's see...he's about six feet tall, dark green eyes, a mop of unruly black hair, and..." she never got a chance to finish, because Harry cut in.  
  
"And devilishly handsome, I'm sure," he said with a mischievous grin.  
  
"Actually, I was going to say 'and thinks he's absolutely hilarious', but now that you mention it..." she deadpanned with a straight face. Harry looked shocked for about two seconds before he saw Hermione trying to fight the giggle that escaped her lips. He smiled and scooped her up in another hug.  
  
"Look who thinks they're funny now," he said. Just then, the train blew its whistle, letting the impatiently waiting passengers know it had arrived at last. Harry picked up his luggage and then Hermione's, and started walking towards the train. It took him all of five steps to figure out Hermione wasn't behind him. He turned around to find her with a lock of pure shock on her face.  
  
He was immediately concerned. Dropping the bags, he ran back over to her and grabbed her by the shoulders. "'Mione, what's wrong?" But she couldn't speak. All she could do was point over Harry's shoulder. He spun around, and drew in a sharp breath. Standing by the door of the train was the last person he ever expected to see: Viktor Krum.  
  
"What...what...what is he doing here?" she asked with a visible tremble in her tone. The blood drained from her face when he spotted her and started towards her.  
  
Harry was confused. Last he had heard, Viktor and Hermione were a happy couple off to the south of France for a romantic vacation. What had happened in France? But whatever it was, it could wait. As Hermione's best friend, he had a job, and right now, that was to protect her. He instinctively stepped in front of her, shielding her from the approaching figure.  
  
"Hermione," he said in that irritating accent of his. "Why have you not responded to any of my letters? I wrote to you all summer."  
  
Through gritted teeth, she said "Viktor, I told you. It's over between us, okay? Over. Do you need me to spell it out for you? I don't want to see you anymore. So please, just leave me alone." Harry was speechless. He had never seen Hermione so angry before, and he had been around Hermione a long time. Nor had he ever heard that tone from her before. It didn't even sound like it belonged to her. She was so quiet and caring, and this tone, although it wasn't loud, demanded attention, with its iciness. "But Hermione..." he started.  
  
"NO VIKTOR! No buts! I have told you at least a thousand times that I don't want to see you anymore, but you just can't seem to take a hint. So, let me make it loud and clear. Leave. Me. Alone. Don't call me, don't write me, don't pull anymore of these surprise visits, nothing. Just butt out of my life!" She was practically screaming at this point. Her face had turned read from her anger, and she was rapidly drawing in large mouthfuls of air.  
  
"But Hermione, I love you!" he said desperately.  
  
"But I don't love you Viktor. Now please, just leave me alone," she said, barely above a whisper. She had managed to calm down enough to speak like a normal person.  
  
Viktor started towards her, anger in his eyes, hand raised as if to strike her. But Harry, who was still standing partially in front of her, quickly took another step, putting himself between his best friend and the advancing Viktor. Hermione clutched at Harry, scared at the threat of Viktor. He reassuringly grabbed the hand currently around his waist in his own, and gave it a gentle squeeze.  
  
"I would suggest that you leave Hermione alone, Viktor" he said coldly, with a little force.  
  
"What's it to you, Potter?" he sneered. Obviously he didn't see Harry as a threat.  
  
"Or else" said Harry, using his free hand to yank Krum closer by his collar, "or else, you are going to have a very hard time finding that snitch."  
  
"Get your filthy paws off me Potter. And just keep in mind that I don't take to threats too kindly." With that, he sped off in the direction of the barrier between platform nine and three-quarters and the rest of the train station. As soon as he disappeared from sight, Harry turned around and looked at Hermione, who appeared to be in shock. Knowing it would be useless to try and ask her what had just happened, he grabbed their luggage in one hand, and dragged her to the train. Once inside, he plopped her down in the first empty compartment, and packed away their bags. He sat himself down next to her and watched as she stared out the window.  
  
The train gave a groan and took off from the station, speeding towards the castle Harry felt was home. He figured Hermione would share when she felt like it, and he didn't want to pressure her. She appeared to be staring at the passing fields as they sped by, but on closer examination, he realized she was actually deep in thought. Wanting to break the awkward silence that had ensued since the incident back at the platform, he decided to take the plunge.  
  
"So, how many times did you read Hogwarts, A History this summer?" he asked in a weak attempt to make her laugh, or even crack a smile. But she did just the opposite. She stayed lost in her thoughts, not even noticing that Harry had spoken. He tried again. "How many extra roles of parchment did you include for Professor Binns' essay?" Again, no response. He tried one last time. "How's our little critter friend Rita Skeeter doing these days?" But this drew no answer from Hermione, so he gave up and collapsed back into the seat and closed his eyes. He had nearly drifted off when her tiny voice brought him back with a start.  
  
"I suppose you'd like to know what that was back at the train station," she said wearily, looking at him expectantly.  
  
"Well, yes, that would be nice. But if you're to worn out, it can wait," he ventured, trying to curb his curiosity.  
  
"Oh come off it Harry. You know you want to hear this, and you could give a rat's ass about how I feel," she said.  
  
"'Mione! That is not true! You're my best friend in the entire world, the only person I can talk to about everything. I would kill myself before I'd let anything happen to you. That's the truth! I swear on my parent's graves!" he cringed inwardly at the mention of his parents, but continued looking at Hermione.  
  
Hermione was on the verge of tears. Harry had not only just admitted he cared about her, but he had sworn on his parent's grave, and she knew how hard that must have been for him. He didn't like to talk about them, so she knew he wasn't joking around.  
  
"Oh Harry! I'm so sorry! I never meant it!" she said as she threw herself into his arms, just as the tears started to fall. Harry just held her and rubbed her back as she sobbed into his chest.  
  
"Shh...it's okay 'Mione. It's okay. I know," he said comfortingly. When the tears finally ceased, he pressed a kiss into her hair. "All better?" She nodded her head, no quite ready to leave the safety of his arms. She felt so...so protected, and loved, laying there in his arms. She gave a sigh of content and snuggled closer to him, trying to rid herself of the fear from the past events. Harry tightened his grip around her, pulling her closer still. Both their nerves calmed, and when Harry felt her breath become even, he knew she had fallen asleep. Knowing she would be okay, he let himself drift off, arms still wrapped protectively around her.  
  
A/N: In case you were wondering, prat is another word for 'ass' or 'butt'. Now you know.  
  
A/N: In case you're wondering where the heck Ron is, he's on an extended vacation with his family in Romania, visiting Charlie. He'll be back later, so don't worry... 


	2. Reverie or Nightmare

A/N: For those who reviewed, thanks! We really appreciate it!  
  
A/N: I have no idea what to expect from this but Jenalla and I do have an idea where this is going. Hopefully you'll enjoy it!  
  
A/N: Oh, and just to let you know, I have been demoted to beta reader corrector person-thingy because I have Writer's Block before I even started. So, this story is all Jenalla except for corrections and title... I will also give any ideas; so on and so forth.  
  
*  
  
Burning Roses  
  
By Jenalla and Zealous  
  
I'm not sure how long I slept for, but it couldn't have been that long, because when I woke, we were still whipping through empty fields. I started to sit up, only to realize I was still curled up in Harry's arms. One look at him told me he was sleeping. Not wanting to wake him, I settled back into his arms and shut my eyes, hoping to fall back asleep, but no such luck. So instead, my thoughts drifted back to the episode at the train station. I had been so scared... and still was. I can't believe he showed up at the train station like that! After all that happened, he expected me to just forget everything and run back into his arms? Thank Merlin that Harry had been there... I don't even want to think about what would have happened if he hadn't.  
  
A little while later, my leg fell asleep, and I had no choice but to wake Harry. I gently tapped him on the shoulder, and he stirred. But instead of waking, as I would have liked, he sighed and fell back asleep. Deciding I had to take drastic action, I lowered my hands and started tickling him.  
  
"What the..... Hermione?! Stop, stop, okay, I'm awake!" he said, his startled green eyes flew open, wide with surprise.  
  
"It's about bloody time. You've been asleep forever!" I replied, standing and stretching my aching limbs. After returning to my seat, I pulled out one of my many read-in-my-spare-time books and opened to my bookmarked page. I became so immersed in it I didn't even notice that the train had stopped moving until Harry tapped me on the shoulder. Looking up, I saw he was taking down our bags.  
  
"Oh. We're here already?" I asked, surprised that the ride had gone by so fast. Of course, the fact that I slept through most of the trip and then read may have had something to do with that. Actually, I'm glad it went by quickly. That meant Harry didn't have a chance to ask me anything else about what had happened at the train station. Standing, I reached up and grabbed the last bag and swung it over my shoulder. Picking up another one, I led the way off the train to the grounds of my second home (or so it felt.) Stepping off the train, I stopped for a second and took in several deep breaths, trying to calm myself. I couldn't rid myself entirely of the feeling of dread. I just felt like something was going to happen. And boy was I right.  
  
I noticed something to my left a little ways away; there was a large circle crowding about what looked like a person. My gut told me who it was, but choosing to ignore it, I watched carefully, trying to see whom this "special" person was. Catching a glimpse here and there, I felt the dread returning full force. The broad-shoulders, shaggy hair, muscular arms..... I knew exactly who it was.  
  
"Harry, I think we should go get a carriage. Now." I grabbed his arm and nearly yanked him the whole way there before he managed to regain his footing. Jumping into the nearest carriage, I threw my bags in the seat and quickly closed the curtain, lest he see us.  
  
"Hermione, what is this all about?" asked a bewildered Harry. But I couldn't explain, I just couldn't. Not now. I wasn't ready to confront the past.  
  
"Oh..... I just thought we should get a carriage before they were.....they were all gone." I finished lamely, having made it up on the spot. Avoiding his eyes, I looked down nervously, wishing I could just leave and never come back. But, of course, Harry didn't buy it for a second. He tilted my head up, forcing me to make eye contact.  
  
"This is about Krum, isn't it," he said softly. I couldn't speak, could only nod. I felt the tears welling up all over again, and cursed myself for being so emotional. He drew me in for one of those reassuring hugs, and at the same time, whispered in my ear, "It's okay 'Mione. I won't let him come near you. You're safe with me, you know that, right?" Again, I could find no words; just another nod. The carriage lurched forward as we started towards Hogwart's.  
  
As weird as it sounds, the hug was actually quite comforting. Harry was right. I did feel safe around him. As though no one could ever hurt me again. I looked up at him again, my eyes meeting with his green ones. We stared into each other's eyes, and I could see the unasked question in them.  
  
"I'm okay Harry. Really, I'm fine now." I gave him a small smile and squeezed his hand lightly. He squeezed it back, and he gave me one more small hug.  
  
"Harry? Before I forget, I just wanted to thank you for.....umm.....you know, back at the train station," I stuttered, fumbling for the words.  
  
"It's okay 'Mione. That's what friends are for, right?" he said with his trademark lopsided grin. How charming.  
  
"Right, but still, thanks" I said, leaning over and giving him a peck on the cheek. He look startled for a second, but then relaxed. Wait, was that.....? was Harry Potter blushing? I didn't think it was possible! Not wanting to embarrass him, I kept quiet.  
  
A short while later (after what felt like an eternity of silence) we arrived at the great steps of Hogwarts. I had never been gladder to be there than I was now. Heaving a huge sigh of relief, I grabbed my bags and walked off the train and into the Great Hall, Harry at my side. Finding two empty seats towards the back of the table, we sat down and waited while the Sorting Hat sung its song. After the Sorting Ceremony, we eagerly dug into our now filled plates, not bothering to make small talk with anyone.  
  
I hadn't realized how hungry I was until I started eating. And once I started, I couldn't get enough. I just kept grabbing handfuls and shoving them into myself, manners be damned. After all I had been through today, I think deserved at least this much.  
  
After everyone had had their fair share of dinner, the food disappeared, only to have marvelous looking desserts appear instead. Still ravenous, I immediately started eating again, until at last, I pushed back my plate, feeling full and satisfied. Eventually, all the plates disappeared, and Professor Dumbledore stood to speak.  
  
"Ahh hem! Quiet down everyone, quiet down. First of all, I'd like to welcome you all back to Hogwart's, and for our new students, I'd like to say welcome to Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I have a few, start-of-the-term reminders I'd like to mention. For those of you in Professor Snape's Second year class, he has asked me to inform you that....." I stopped listening right about there, and started to daydream about what my new classes would be like this year. How different would this year be from the last?  
  
"And finally" said Professor Dumbledore, ("It's about time" I whispered to Harry) "I am pleased to announce that another student has been added to the Sixth year class." At this, I froze, my heart knowing what he was going to say next.  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to present to you you're new classmate, Viktor Krum!"  
  
A/N: You know the drill. 


	3. The Truth

A/N: To answer some of your questions, Ron is (as I said before) on an extended vacation with his family in Romania; Krum (for my story purposes) has not graduated. He is in the same year as Harry and Hermione- Sixth year.  
  
A/N: Also, as Zealous said, this is now solely my (Jenalla) story. Now, on with the chapter!  
  
Hermione felt her mind go numb as she sat there in a state of absolute amazement.  
  
"This can't be happening," she thought. "I must be dreaming. This must be a dream!" She gave herself a quick pinch on the arm, hoping she would feel nothing at all. But to her dismay, she wasn't dreaming. It was really happening. Krum was indeed joining Hogwart's.  
  
She looked around at the other students, who were all on their feet clapping loudly and cheering, and then at Harry, who was looking at her with concern.  
  
"Hey, you okay?" he asked gently. She nodded, but her eyes told a different story. They were filled with sadness, and a little bit of worry. He didn't want to press the issue anymore, so he let it drop for now. But he was concerned. Hermione never let anything phase her. What the devil could Krum have done that was so horrible to make her act like this?  
  
The rest of the welcoming ceremony went by in a blur to Hermione, and afterwards, she couldn't have told anyone a single thing that Professor Dumbledore had said. She was in such complete shock that she was no longer aware of her surroundings. Harry had to guide Hermione back to their common area, and sit her down on the couch in front of the fire. She had a dazed look on her face, like she was there but at the same time lost in space. He knew she was thinking about Krum; he could just tell. He turned to face her, so he ended up sitting cross-legged on the cushion next to her. She took a deep breath and, still looking into the fire, she began to tell her story, her voice flat, with no emotion. Harry knew better to interrupt, and besides, his curiosity was piqued.  
  
"Last summer, Krum invited me to come up to his summer house for a couple weeks. I accepted his invitation, and flew out to Marseilles, where the house was. We met at the airport, and he drove me back to his house, pointing out different landmarks along the way. When we got there, I got to meet his parents, who were incredibly nice to me. They were the picture of perfect parents, the kind every kid wishes they could have. They were sincere, always told you the truth, and were cool at the same time. They let us go wherever we wanted, as long as we told them beforehand. So we pretty much had a free reign, and took full advantage of it. One day, we spent an entire day in the city. First, he gave me the grand tour, and then we had lunch in a cute little pastry shop. It was like that of a movie. After, he took me shopping, and I got some new clothes. Another day, we took his parent's yacht out on this lake his house sat on. We sailed out to the middle, and then dropped anchor and had a picnic, and we went swimming, and just sat out in the sun. It all started off so well, that it blinded me of the little signs that things weren't quite as good as they seemed."  
  
She paused to take several deep breaths, and then continued. "Like this one night, we went to one of those teen clubs, and were having the best time, dancing and hanging out. We met up with some of his friends, and their girlfriends. I met this one girl, Rachel, and hit it off right away. So were on the floor, dancing away, and I turned to talk to Rachel but Viktor grabbed my jaw and turned my head back to him, saying that I shouldn't be talking to other people while I was dancing with him. I shrugged it off, telling myself that it was my fault because I was the one that had looked away. But then other things started happening. Just little things that I brushed off, never paying any attention to; like how he became more and more clingy, wanting to be with me every second of the day. But, like I said, I just ignored them, figuring that he just didn't want any other guys approaching me. After all, France is known for its cute boys."  
  
"However, he was becoming almost obsessive around me. At first it was flattering that he wanted to spend all his time with me, but after a while, it became tiring. I could barely convince him to let me go to the bathroom on my own, and even then, he insisted on waiting right outside the door. He even wanted to sleep in my bed, but I kind of figured where that would go so I refused. And he did back down on that, but it didn't do much good. He had to be with me everywhere, no matter what. I tried to shake him off, saying I had reading I needed to do for school, but he would join me with his own 'reading'."  
  
"He slowly began to lose his temper more and more easily, flying off the handle at the simplest of things. He yelled at me once for asking a guy on the street (that I had never seen before) what time it was. He accused me of flirting with the guy, and said that I didn't love him and that I never had. Of course, at the time, I still loved him, or so I though, so I told him that none of that was true. I told him that I loved so much, and I had never lied to him, and I would never cheat on him. And it was true. At least, part of it was."  
  
"But things started spiraling out of control. I just assumed that they would get better, but they never did. He kept making excuses as to why he behaved that way: he was having problems with his father, his schoolwork hadn't been as good as expected, he was feeling a lot of pressure from his parents to do well, he had to do all his summer work still, etc. etc. I felt bad, so I offered to help him, and then proceeded to do almost every bit of that work. And did I ever hear even so much as a thank-you? No, of course not. But I didn't think it really mattered, because I thought that maybe since I had helped him work through one of his problems, things would start to get better, to go back to the way they used to be. But instead, they got worse still. I figured maybe something else had happened, but when I tried to talk to him, he brushed me off angrily, saying he was fine and that "I wish you would stop sticking your nose where it doesn't belong.""  
  
"He became even more controlling after that. He started telling me what to wear, and pretty much picked out my outfits for me. I didn't want to start another argument, so I just wore whatever he told me to. I figured if I listened, maybe he would stop, but instead, it just gave him more leverage over me. He started ordering for me in restaurants, restaurants that he got to pick out, and we had to go where he wanted to go. But I didn't know what to do, so I just went along with it. I even tried to tell myself he was being sweet, that he didn't want anyone to be able to take advantage of me. But I knew what was happening. He was slowly taking over my life. I knew I needed to end the relationship, but I couldn't figure out how to do it without it turning into another one of his jealous rages. When I tried to tell him it was over, he would have started screaming at me about me being with another guy, how I never loved him, blah blah blah. And that was something I could have definitely done without. But I couldn't really think of anything else to do, so I decided to take the risk, thinking that if it got Viktor out of my life, then it was all worth it."  
  
"So one night, I went into his room and told him we needed to talk. He immediately became suspicious, but I decided to go ahead and tell him anyway. After I told him that we should see other people, he started yelling, just as I figured he would. I tried to explain to him that no, I hadn't been seeing another guy, and that I had loved him, but that I just felt it was the right time to end things, but he wouldn't listen to me. He just kept ranting on and on about how he knew this and that, and after a bit, I got so frustrated that I started yelling back at him. And that was when he hit me."  
  
A/N: Sorry to keep you hanging guys! More to come soon, I promise!! 


	4. The Truth: Part 2

A/N: Okay, people, do you read these things?! I put them there for a reason!! RON IS ON AN EXTENDED VACATION!!!! AND KRUM IS NOT DONE WITH SCHOOL FOR THE PURPOSES OF MY STORY!!! OKAY?  
  
A/N: Whew, sorry about that people. Just a little frustrated. Now, on with the chappie!  
  
She cast her eyes down, into her lap where she was wringing her hands. When she looked up again, she had tears in her eyes. Taking several deep breaths to regain composure, she started again. Her voice was crackly and I could tell she was trying to keep her tears at bay.  
  
"It was the only time he actually hit me, and afterwards, he apologized profusely. But I wasn't so blind anymore. It was as though someone had pulled the wool off my eyes, and I was seeing all of this for the first time. All along, I had convinced myself that nothing was wrong, even though my gut was telling me otherwise. But suddenly, everything was clear, and so was the message. I had to end things, and the sooner the better."  
  
"The only problem was, how to do it? How could I get myself out of the relationship without making him mad enough to hit me again? I couldn't think of anything, so I strung along pretending to be happy and content, all the while my brains turning over idea after idea. After a while, I had pretty much run out of options. The only thing I was still considering was telling him that my parents didn't want me dating, but I didn't think it would work, because he had already charmed my parents with the same charm he used on me. I needed a reason to go with it, something that would be true enough for him to believe without being totally farfetched. Finally, I came up with the idea of using schoolwork as the underlying reason for our break-up. I could say my parents didn't want me to date anymore. Then when he asked why (which I knew he would) I would blame it on my schoolwork, saying that I needed to do well this year, because there was only one more year to go, and my future depended on it." There was a tiny gleam in her eyes, and I could tell that she was proud that she had come up with the idea all on her own.  
  
"I figured I should do it in a public place, during the day, so he would be less likely to make a scene. So one day while we were out for the afternoon, just walking around the city, I stopped him in a park and told him we needed to talk. I led him over to a bench, and sat down with him, and told him that we needed to break up. He immediately exploded in a jealous rage, as I figured he would, and started accusing me of cheating on him, and called me a 'lying cheating filthy bitch' was I believe the term he used. I explained to him that my parents didn't want my love life to interfere with my progress that year, and that I was really sorry. He stood up and yanked me up with him, and then practically dragged me back home with him. I figured he was going to try and hit me again, but instead, to my surprise, he threw my bags on the bed and ordered me to pack. I was so shocked that I just stood there with my mouth hanging open like a bloody fool, until he shoved me towards my dresser. Then, I realized just what was going on and I swear I have never packed so quickly in my entire life. In less than ten minutes I was ready to go, and then he drove me to the airport and left me there, and I just stupidly assumed he was out of my life forever. I called my parents and told them I was on my way home, and then using a little of the money they had given me, bought a ticket and headed home."  
  
"When I reached home I found my bewildered parents demanding an explanation as to why I was home a week before hand. I lied, and told them that Viktor and his family had had to leave unexpectedly, and that I was sorry I hadn't called them sooner. They believed me, and I thought that was the end of it. I would never have to see or speak to Viktor Krum again. But as usual, I was wrong." She cast her glance downwards, her voice diminishing to a tone of defeat.  
  
"It must have been three weeks after I left Viktor that I started receiving the love letters. They contained little poems he had composed, and stated that he loved me and couldn't wait until we were together again. And all of them demanded a response, but I couldn't write back to him, not after everything I had been through. And soon after I started getting those, they changed. They became ugly and crude, basically saying he knew that I had lied to him and that he was going to get me because I was his and no one else could have me. He said he would get me, no matter where I was or how much it took. They said he would follow me and get me when I least expected it." Shivering slightly (I wasn't sure if it was from fear or just if she was cold), she continued.  
  
"After that, I became so scared I couldn't sleep at night. Every sound, every creak of the settling floor boards, every whisper of the wind, every jingle of Crookshanks (A/N: Sorry if I spelled it wrong!) collar became the sounds of an intruder. But the nights of laying awake in terror quickly caught up to me, and I became a living zombie (or at least that's how I felt.) I went through life for the next couple of weeks in a trance, there but not really there. I was in my own world, my body merely trapped in another. When I was questioned by my parent's I blamed it on staying up to late reading, and promised I would go to bed earlier. But I couldn't, I couldn't let my guard down, no even for a second." I felt myself wanting to grab her and just hold her until everything was right in her world again, but I knew I needed to let her finish.  
  
"Finally, it came time to return to Hogwart's, to return to the safety of Dumbledore and you Harry. I've always felt safe around you Harry. You're like the one person I feel completely and totally protected with, because I know you'd give your life to save mine."  
  
She threw herself into my arms suddenly, and I was momentarily stunned to find myself locked in a tight embrace with her. And it took me even longer to realize she was sobbing into my chest for the second time that day. All her fears, all her woes, all her anguish were being let out in those tears, and I vowed at that moment to do my best to protect her.  
  
When she finally stopped crying, she looked up and gave me a sad smile, and I knew she was going to be okay, at least for the night. I returned her smile, and loosened my grip on her, allowing her to move out of my arms if she wished. But she just sighed and rested her head on my shoulder, and I let my arm slide down to her hip. We just sat there in silence, thinking different thoughts. After a few minutes, I heard her breath become more even, and knew she had fallen asleep. Not wanting to wake her, I gently scooped her into my arms and carried her up the stairs to her room. Pausing for a moment to open the door (not an easy feat when you have to try and balance someone on one arm), I entered her dorm and deposited her on her bed (at least, I'm assuming it was her bed; it was the only one without an occupant). Kissing her softly on the cheek, I whispered "Good night 'Mione, sweet dreams" and then tiptoed out, shutting the door silently behind me. I walked down the stairs, and sat back down on the sofa. No longer tired, I was going over everything I had just learned, trying to sort things out.  
  
A/N: Sorry to end it here guys, I wasn't sure whether to go into a new day or just leave it here, so I decided to just leave it be. Please don't hate me! I promise I'll update soon!  
  
A/N: Also, I've figured out how I'm going to bring Ron into the story, so keep reading and he'll show up (hopefully) in two to three chappies.  
  
A/N: And I'm sorry if this chappie was a stinker you guys, I haven't had a whole lot of free time to write, but I'll try to make the next one a little more interesting, so bear with me. 


	5. Oh, Bugger!

A/N: Okay you guys, I am REALLY sorry I haven't updated in so long. I have been so busy, but I finally managed to get this one done, between moments of craziness. So enjoy!  
  
I woke up in the middle of the night (well, early morning) feeling completely disoriented, and my eyes hurt. I looked around for a few seconds, blinking at my surroundings, not quite sure where I was. Then I realized I was sitting in my bed, in my dorm room. But wait. Last thing I remember was talking with Harry, and then falling asleep.....oh, Merlin, not again! I had fallen asleep on Harry again. And after another one of my tear-fests no less! What a basket case I was turning into.  
  
I hopped out of bed; surprisingly awake for the few hours of sleep I had gotten. I was feeling cheerful for some odd, unknown reason; 'was' being the keyword there. After taking one look in the mirror, I nearly screamed. I looked horrendous! My eyes were bloodshot and swollen, and my hair was looking even frizzier than normal. Glancing at the clock, I let out a sigh, for I was already running late.  
  
I turned the hot tap on, and when it wouldn't get warm, I turned it up all the way. Without thinking, I stepped into the shower, only to jump out again, my back burning from the scalding water. Turning it down again, I cautiously got back in, and, seeing that it was okay, proceeded to take the quickest shower of my life. (and only got shampoo in my eyes twice!)  
  
Grabbing a towel off the rack, I dried off and threw on the first clean pair of clothes I found. I did my hair, just pulling it back and praying it wouldn't frizz too much. As for my eyes, I tried to cover them the best I could, but make-up isn't exactly my forte. I gathered my books and put them in my bag, and then flew down the stairs, hoping I would at least make the last five minutes of breakfast. I wasn't looking where I was going and missed the last stair, landing flat on my face, and ripping my pants at the same time. Oh bugger! Panting, I plopped down in the chair next to Harry and grabbed a piece of toast. I flashed him a smile as I spread some jam, my favorite, over the toast. Of course, I should have known better, what with the kind of day I was having, but of course I wasn't thinking.  
  
I gasped as the purple jam fell off the toast and splattered all over my clean shirt, which just happened to be white. I don't know why I was even surprised. After all, just this morning, I had already managed to oversleep, burn myself, get shampoo in my eyes, put on clothes that didn't match, trip, and rip my pants, and now on top of all that, I ruined my shirt. What a brilliant way to start the day!  
  
I debated on whether to go back upstairs and change and risk being late for class or look like a freak for the rest of the day. Naturally, my first thought was to go change, but a quick look at my watch told me otherwise. Of course, I was still running late. Without any other choice, I grabbed another piece of toast (wisely choosing not to put anything on it) and ran off to my next class, after saying bye to Harry. Thankfully, Lavender was nice enough to let me borrow her sweater until I had a chance to go and change, and the rip in my pants wasn't too noticeable. Wow, this hadn't actually turned out to be too bad of a morning.  
  
Of course, I spoke too soon.  
  
After last class before we had lunch, I dashed upstairs and changed into clean, unripped, matching clothes. Folding Lavender's sweater, I placed it on her bed and then ran to the dining hall, actually in time to have something more than a piece of toast to eat. Settling in, I started to eat, not realizing how hungry I had been. And I managed not to spill anything on myself this time.  
  
I swear, my inner self was tricking me into thinking that I was fine now, that my bad morning had been just that, a bad morning.  
  
After lunch, I was walking with Harry across the grounds to Hagrid's for class. We were talking about everything, from Ron to Quidditch, and I wasn't paying a bit of attention to the path in front of me, so I missed the stray branch on the ground.  
  
"See, I think that the Cannons are....." Mid-sentence, I tripped over the branch and for the second time that day, fell flat on my face. I groaned in pain, and rolled over so I was on my back, looking up into the worried green orbs of Harry's eyes. His mouth was moving, but I couldn't understand what he was saying.  
  
"'Mione, are you okay?" he kept repeating over and over, until I finally understood and nodded my head. He extended his hand to and pulled me to my feet, where I stood for about a half-second before wincing in pain and collapsing into him. He grasped me around the waist to keep me from moving.  
  
"What hurts 'Mione?" I gritted my teeth and glanced down at my left ankle, which was now swelling. He followed my eyes and saw why I was in pain.  
  
"We should get you to the infirmary. Can you walk?" he asked, not wanting to put me in any more pain than I already was in. I nodded and tentatively put some pressure on my leg. Gasping in pain, I squeezed my eyes shut as the tears threatened to leak out, and I shook my head no. I felt his hands leave me waist and circle me, and then my feet left the ground. I opened my eyes and saw that Harry was now holding me with my bookbag draped over his shoulder. Encircling his neck with my arms, I rested my head on his shoulder and sighed.  
  
"I'm sorry Harry. I guess you could say I'm having an extremely off-day," I said. He let out a laugh, and said, "I'd say that's a little of an understatement, wouldn't you?" I looked up and saw his eyes sparkling with laughter, and he had such a goofy grin on his face that I couldn't help but crack a small smile.  
  
"That's a little better. Now, how about a laugh?" he said. His arm behind my back tightened a little and he started tickling my side. I burst out laughing until I was out of breath and tears were running down my cheeks.  
  
"Harry, please! Stop! I can't breath!" I gasped out. He had a triumphant smile, but he stopped. By this point we had reached the infirmary, and he knocked on the door to the room. It was opened seconds later by Madame Pince, with a look of disdain on her face.  
  
"What do you want?" she asked.  
  
"Please Madame Pince, my ankle, I tripped, I think I may have wrenched it....." I trailed off as her look changed from scorn to pity.  
  
"Oh, you poor child. Please, come right this way," she turned and gestured for Harry to put me down on the bed. Harry deposited me on the bed, and before removing my hands, I drew him close and kissed him on the cheek, much like I had yesterday.  
  
"Thank you Harry. For everything," I whispered softly, and I saw his eyes soften as he nodded his head in understanding. He kissed me gently on the forehead and, leaving my books on the chair next to me, left the room with one last lingering look.  
  
A/N: Again, sorry if it sucks. I haven't had a lot of time to work on this, but I finally got it done.  
  
A/N: Also, as I said, Ron should be returning soon, so keep reading.  
  
A/N: Oh, and thanks so much for all you're reviews, they mean a lot to me! So please, keep reviewing and let me know that you think of my story. 


	6. Revelations, Confessions, and Kisses

A/N: You guy's are right, Pomfrey is the nurse, Pince is the librarian. My bad, thanks for catching it.  
  
A/N: Okay, and I know I keep promising this, but Ron is hopefully gonna appear at the end of either this chappie or the next one.  
  
After Harry left, I settled into the not-so-comfortable bed as best I could, and closed my eyes, promising myself I was only going to rest my eyes for a few minutes.  
  
"Just a few minutes... that's all I need..." I murmured, as my eyes closed. My thoughts drifted from the past events of this morning to Harry, and I was soon fast asleep.  
  
Three hours later: My eyelids fluttered open, and I stretched out my aching back. Rolling over, I glanced at the clock, and gasped. I had been asleep for three hours!  
  
"So much for a few minutes," I muttered grumpily as I sat up and looked around. There wasn't another soul in sight. Another look at the clock told me why; it was time for supper. Grumbling, I stood to gather my things and head downstairs, but fell back on the bed in pain.  
  
"Ow! Okay, definitely shouldn't have done that," I said as I grimaced in pain. "So what am I supposed to do now? I can't go downstairs, so am I supposed to sit her and sulk all night by myself?" I wondered aloud with a deep sigh.  
  
"No m'lady, that is where I step in," came a voice through the door, which swung open to reveal the smiling figure of none other Harry. "I come with thy dinner, my fair lady," he said in a mocking, old-fashioned English voice. And it was true. In his hands he held ample portions of all my favorites.  
  
"Oh, Harry! You're a life savor! I thought I was going to be stuck up here all night by myself! But how did you manage to sneak away with all the food? Someone must have seen you!" I said rather quickly, and paused for some air.  
  
"And have thy lady starve? Never!" he said, still mimicking the accent. "Besides, I had my cloak, so no one saw me," he added, his voice returning to normal. "So here, dig in," he finished, handing me the plate. I gave him a grateful smile and quickly started eating.  
  
"Mmm, this is delicious! And still warm! You really are a life savor, Harry," I said between mouthfuls.  
  
"Anything for my 'Mione. And I was feeling kind of guilty about this afternoon. I should have warned you about that branch," he said as he sat down. I shot him a questioning look, and he stood up. "What, you don't want me to stay? Because I can leave if you'd rather be alone," he said, quickly making for the door.  
  
"Harry, stop. Of course I want you to stay. I just figured you'd rather be downstairs with your friends then stuck up here in this stuffy room with me," I said.  
  
"'Mione, are you kidding me? You're the only person I want to be with right now. I mean, it's not like anyone else in this school actually appreciates me for who I am. I'm the 'Boy Who Lived'. So what? Does anyone else look past that? I don't think so," he said with a bit of disdain in his voice. His eyes were mixed with anger and hurt, and I felt my heart melting for him. How could people be so cruel?  
  
"Harry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that. I just meant..." I trailed off as I realized what a futile gesture it was to continue. He sighed and looked up, with an eerie sadness haunting his eyes. The anger was gone, just sadness remained in his steady gaze. His features were wary, and I patted the spot next to me on the bed, gesturing for him to sit. He practically collapsed on the bed, and I lay down next to him. He pulled me into him, so my back was against his stomach, and he wrapped an arm around my waist, holding me there. Not that I was planning on leaving. This just felt so...right. Like I belonged there. But that wasn't important right now. What was important was listening to Harry, so I moved that thought out of my head as he started talking.  
  
"I don't understand how some people can be so ignorant of other peoples feelings. They all think it's great that I'm the 'Boy Who Lived' but do they actually care about me? No. All they want is for me to be their new best friend so they can say their friends with me. Yeah, sure, it sounds great being famous and having every single person know your name, but it's not all its cracked up to be. Every where I go, I'm constantly surrounded by people who want to know me, shake hands with me, get my autograph, have their picture taken with me, but do any of them want to get to know me, know who I really am? You and Ron are the only people in this entire world that mean anything to me. You're there for me when I need you, you're always willing to talk when I need someone to talk to, and you even help the 'famous' Harry Potter do his homework. What would I do without you? I would be the lost little Harry Potter; the one everyone pities and loves at the same time. I swear, without you Hermione, I would be nothing, nothing like what I am today," he said as he rested his head on the back of neck.  
  
"Wow, Harry, I had no idea you felt this way. I'm... speechless. I really don't know what to say," I said breathlessly as I felt the lump grow in my throat. All along I had taken Harry for granted just like everyone else, and now I felt terrible. I was just like one of them! I small tear leaked out of the corner of my eye and made its way down my cheek. I placed my hand on top of his and gave it a gentle squeeze. He squeezed back, and then slowly entwined our fingers so we were lying side-by-side, fingers entwined at my waist. We just lay there in silence, enjoying each other's company. It was then that I came to a startling realization.  
  
Our relationship had changed a lot over the years, and although I couldn't exactly pinpoint the time, I realized that I had fallen for Harry. All along, it was Harry that I liked, not Krum. Harry was the one that was always there for me, always been my shoulder to cry on. I can't believe how blind I've been to all this! How I never noticed how my heart flutters when he comes near, or how much I like the sound of his voice, or how it gives me the shivers to hear him call me 'Mione.  
  
"'Mione," he said gently, shaking me out of my thoughts.  
  
"Mmm?" I replied.  
  
"What are you thinking?" he asked.  
  
"Why do you ask?"  
  
"You're just being really quiet... that's all," he said.  
  
"It's just that... there's something I need to tell you Harry," I said. "What I've been thinking about that's made me so quiet is that I've realized something. Something I've been completely blind about over the years."  
  
"And what's that?" he asked.  
  
"That... that... that I've fallen for you," I said, and quickly continued. "I don't know how I could be so blind to this, but I was. I never noticed any of the signals before, but I see them now."  
  
I heard him draw in a ragged breath, and then he said it. "'Mione," he said, barely speaking above a whisper. "'Mione, look at me." I rolled over in his arms, and found myself practically nose-to-nose with him. I couldn't look him in the eye, I was too afraid of what I'd see.  
  
"'Mione, look at me," he said again, and taking in a deep breath, I did so. I looked up into those green eyes, those magical green eyes. And I just couldn't help it. I got lost in those eyes.  
  
He slowly inched his head towards mine; his eyes focused on my lips. I tilted my head to the side, like I had seen in the movies. Our lips were centimeters apart, and I was so anxious for this to happen. Our first kiss, that first magical kiss.  
  
"Hey guys!" came the sound of Ron's voice through the door, "I'm back!"  
  
A/N: Sorry to end it here...but after all, don't they say, "Always leave them wanting more"? So I hope you guys want more!  
  
A/N: Please review, your reviews mean so much to me! I love each and every one of you that review! 


	7. With the Weasleys

A/N: Okay, I am so sorry it took this long to get this up. I've had really bad.....well, not really writer's block......I mean I know what I wanted to say, but I couldn't find the words to say it. You wouldn't believe how many times I started and deleted this chapter to get it the way I wanted, but here it goes.  
  
It had to have been eight or nine before Mum finally decided we had better leave to avoid any traffic. (After she said this, I asked her who in their bloody mind would be out traveling this late at night except us, but she just gave me one of those stern mother looks and told me to get moving.)  
  
After a rather tearful good-bye on Mum's part, we all piled into dad's car (He did get a new one, although this one isn't enchanted to fly, which is a rip-off if you ask me, but then again, no one ever does now do they?) and set out on the road. We made it all of five minutes down the dark road when George yelled that he had forgotten his latest invention for his and Fred's joke shop. So, to my dismay, we turned around and drove back. Once George was safely buckled in, and another round of good-byes were chorused to Charlie, we took off once again. This time, we made it to the highway without any mishaps, and once dad took that turn onto the main road, we all let out a sigh of relief, thankful that there had been no reason to turn around again.  
  
We drove long into the dreary, silent night, and I felt myself lulling off to sleep as we rode continuously through what I assumed to be open road. A couple hours, two fights, seven games, and a debate about which Quidditch team was the best (Go Chudley Cannons!) later, I finally drifted off.  
  
I couldn't be sure what time it was when I woke up, but as I squinted through the early morning sun streaming in the window, three things hit me at once: 1. We were still driving, 2. It was morning, and 3. I was starving!  
  
"Mum, I'm hungry," I said, whining a little so she'd get the point. She just groaned and said, "Ronald Weasley, when is there ever a moment you aren't hungry?" But she fished around the cooler and then handed me a little plastic-wrapped sandwich marked "Ron". Even through the plastic I could smell the tuna, and groaned inwardly. When was she going to remember I hated tuna?  
  
Knowing it would be pointless to try and swap with Fred or George (we all had the same) I decided to just eat the damned thing because my only other option was to starve to death. I unwrapped it, and holding it as though it were a bomb about to go off, I took a deep breath and then gobbled it down as quickly as I could. 'Chew, chew, chew, swallow, chew, chew, swallow, chew, chew, swallow' There, it was gone. But, ugh, I could still taste it on my tongue.  
  
"We don't by chance happen to have any pumpkin juice or anything, do we?" I asked hopefully. Mum rummaged around again, and then handed me a container filled with what I assumed to be pumpkin juice. Taking it gratefully, I opened and slugged back a couple mouthfuls when the raunchy taste hit me. I closed my eyes as they watered and had to choke down the rest in my mouth.  
  
"What is this?!" I asked as I gasped for breath. "What in bloody hell is this stuff?"  
  
"Ronald! Watch your language! And that stuff happens to be my new protein drink. I think we could all stand to eat a little healthier, especially you," Mum said sternly.  
  
"By eating healthier do you mean not eating at all? Because that's all this stuff makes me want to do," I said.  
  
"You're the one that asked for it, not me," she said pointedly.  
  
"I said I wanted pumpkin juice!" I said protested.  
  
"Or anything," she added, and then gave me one of those shut-up-while-you- still-can-because-it's-pointless-to-argue-with-me looks. So I resumed looking longingly out the window as more flat, deserted land sped by the window.  
  
"How about another game?" dad asked. "I know this great one that....." He was abruptly cut off as we all shouted, "No!"  
  
"Sorry, Dad," I added on apologetically. "We're just sick of playing games right now. Why don't we listen to the radio?" I suggested, and he switched on the radio. Over the speakers came the sound of one of those annoying muggle talk shows.  
  
"Uh, Dad? By radio, I meant something all of us actually like," I said.  
  
Grumbling, he reluctantly changed the station. "Better?" he asked. We all nodded in agreement as the car fell silent once again. Even the music seemed to grow softer. It was one of those creepy silences, where you don't even want to cough or sneeze, because you'll break that silence.  
  
We drove in continued hush, to the point where it was almost unbearable. Finally, I couldn't stand it anymore.  
  
"Have you guys heard the one about the....." I started.  
  
"YES!"  
  
"Okay," I replied grumpily. "Just trying to lighten the mood."  
  
We sat in silence for about another ten minutes before anyone else dared to speak.  
  
"Are we almost home?" asked Ginny, in one of those annoying, whiney voices.  
  
"Yes, Ginny, we are almost home," replied Mum, and I could tell she was a bit aggravated with Ginny's tone.  
  
"Well, how much further then?" asked Ginny, again in that same voice.  
  
"I'm not sure, Ginny, I'd say another thirty minutes," said Mum, and this time I could practically see her teeth grinding as she clenched her jaw.  
  
"Uh, Ginny, what classes did you say you were taking this year?" I asked, trying to distract her so Mum wouldn't lose her bloody head.  
  
"Well, I'm taking Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Potions, and....." she rattled off a list of other subjects she was taking as I pretended to look interested as I felt myself growing more bored by the second. She then felt the need to start an in-depth, one-sided discussion, in which she talked all about the teachers, and how her friends thought this, and blah, blah, blah. I listened as patiently as I could for as long as humanly possible, but every bloke has his limits.  
  
"Ginny! Please! Just shut your bloody trap! Honestly, you talk more than any girl I know on this entire bloody planet!" Which was, of course, followed by another lecture from Mum about how I need to learn to be considerate of other people's feelings and I should think before I speak.  
  
Once again, the car lapsed into complete and total silence, and just when I thought my head might explode, we arrived home. I swear on Merlin's beard that I have never been happier to see the Burrow in my entire bloody life, all sixteen years of it.  
  
We all jumped out of the car and made a mad-dash for the door and were about halfway there when Mum's voice cut through our cheerful chatter.  
  
"Ah-hem. Forgetting something, are we?" she asked with a suggestive glance at the trunk. We trudged back to the car and waited patiently as Mum and Dad pulled all the bags out of the trunk, and then we all grabbed our things and once again ran for safety. I was the first one to reach the door, and I practically ripped it off its hinges in my haste to get inside.  
  
"Ahhhh..... Home at last," I said as I walked up the rickety stairs to my room. Throwing the suitcase on the floor (I'd unpack it later, if I felt like it), I flopped down on my bed, thankful that I actually had one again. Don't get me wrong, I love Charlie and all, but I don't think I will ever understand how he can sleep on a cot every single night. Well, not sleep really, since you spend most of the night tossing and turning, trying to get comfortable, and just when you think you've actually found a comfortable spot, your arm that's wedged under your back falls asleep on you. And then you have to twist around a little more until finally you just give up and roll over and fall asleep. And of course, by that time, it's like three in the morning, so you only get like five hours of sleep, not even, and then it's 'rise and shine everyone!'  
  
I didn't have any intentions of falling asleep, but since I was nice and comfortable (and tired) on my bed, I decided a short nap couldn't hurt anything. Yawning, I closed my eyes and was almost asleep, and then I was jolted back awake.  
  
"Ronald Weasley! You answer me when I call you!" Mum screeched, and from the sounds of it, she had been calling me for quite a bit.  
  
"What, Mum? I'm trying to sleep!" I yelled back irritably.  
  
"We're leaving!"  
  
"Where are we going?"  
  
"Hogwarts!"  
  
"Hogwarts! But why now? It's not like were going to be able to do anything if we go now!"  
  
"Do I honestly have to explain myself to you over every little decision I make? Now I said we're going, so let's go!"  
  
Once again, we all jammed into the car and began the long journey to Hogwarts. 


	8. Lies

A/N: Okay guys, I'm so sorry that last chappie sucked so much. I think I'm gonna plead temporary insanity, so please just excuse it. It's poorly written, with like no plot, but I just couldn't write about the Harry/Hermione thing.....the words weren't flowing. Hopefully I got it right this time. And again, I apologize.  
  
At the sound of Ron's voice, they both froze. Seconds turned into what felt like hours, and neither of them seemed capable of movement. At last, Hermione's senses kicked in and she quickly pulled back from Harry, a hares- breath before Ron burst through the door, his signature goofy grin on his face.  
  
Hermione gave him a small hug as she whispered "welcome back" softly in his ear. Pulling back, she gave him a smile and then sat back down on the bed next to an obviously distracted Harry. Discreetly, she elbowed him sharply in the side, and he winced before catching her glare. When he sent her a questioning look, she nodded at Ron who was too busy looking around the room, as if making sure nothing had changed, to notice. Understanding dawned on him, and he cleared his throat loudly to catch Ron's attention.  
  
"Hey, would you look what the cat dragged in?" he said jokingly to his best friend, and they shook hands, neither wanting to seem like a girly-man by hugging.  
  
"That the best you got Potter?" Ron said.  
  
"Aww, c'mon, lay off. You just got here, what do you want me to say?" Harry replied, and soon the two friends were swapping jokes like old-times, completely oblivious to Hermione who was sitting on the bed, looking increasingly bored. She cleared her throat a little in the hopes of reminding the both of them that she was still there. When they failed to even look in her direction, she coughed loudly, still with no response. She was just about to interrupt their conversation when there was a knock at the door.  
  
Ron and Harry fell silent as they turned towards the door, wondering who would be knocking on the door during dinner. Harry had a sickening feeling that he knew who it was, and a glance at Hermione confirmed his thoughts. The color was rapidly draining out of her face, and she quickly became pale as a ghost. Determined not to let the fear show (who knew? She could be wrong), she took a shaky breath and then said loudly, "Come in."  
  
The doorknob turned slowly (it was almost like one of those horror scenes straight out of the films), and the door was quietly pushed open. One look at the burley arm pushing the door open, Hermione knew she had been right. Who else could it have been?  
  
Harry silently moved over until he was next to her, and he took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly, as if to say 'don't worry, I'm here for you.'  
  
What felt like an eternity later, the door swung open and Viktor Krum's massive frame filled the door space to capacity, and he actually had to duck to make it under the door without hitting his head. Clutched in his hand was a small bouquet of roses, her former favorite flower. It had been up until that summer, up until she broke things off with Krum, and he had sent her vases and vases of roses (along with the chocolates and clothing and jewelry, all of which she had promptly returned) in hopes of winning her back.  
  
"Hello Hermione," he said with his heavy accent, not even noticing that Harry and Ron were also in the room, Harry sitting protectively next to her. "I heard about your accident, and I was very concerned so I decided to come up and see you, to make sure you were all right."  
  
"I'm fine," she said through gritted teeth.  
  
"Oh, I brought these for you," he said, handing her the flowers. "I know they're your favorite."  
  
"That's nice, but I don't want them," said Hermione coldly. "And they are not my favorite."  
  
"But my Hermione, I bought them just for you," he protested.  
  
"Let's get one thing straight. I am not yours any longer, so I would appreciate it if you would stop treating me as though I were," she replied frostily.  
  
"That is where you are wrong, Hermione. You will always be mine. We were meant to be together, whether you realize it or not. Now take that back," he said menacingly, taking a step towards her.  
  
"I'd suggest that you leave Hermione alone," said Harry coolly, rising and putting himself between Hermione and Krum.  
  
Krum blinked several times, seeing Harry for the first time.  
  
"You again? Hermione, I am surprised at your behavior. I did not think you had it in you to sink this low, associating with this scum," Krum said sarcastically.  
  
Harry struggled to stay in control as he felt the anger rising through him. Taking several cleansing breaths, he looked Krum straight in the eye and said "If anything, Viktor," he said, spitting out the name, "I'd say you were the scum, treating Hermione the way you did. But to each our own."  
  
Glaring at Hermione he said, "This isn't over," and then stalked out of the room, slamming the door behind him.  
  
Hermione then realized she'd been holding her breath and exhaled, sighing deeply. Harry spun around and sat down next to Hermione.  
  
"You okay?" he asked, trying to comfort her.  
  
She nodded, but when she looked up Harry could see the tears glistening in her eyes. His heart wrenching, he wrapped her in for another hug.  
  
Hermione willed herself not to cry, but she could feel the tears forming in her eyes. When Harry asked if she was okay, she couldn't speak so she nodded, but she knew Harry didn't believe her. Harry understood her so well, that sometimes it seemed as though they didn't need words, that they could read each other's minds or something.  
  
"Ahh-hem. As sweet as this is, anyone want to explain what the bloody hell is going on?"  
  
Startled, Harry and Hermione drew apart. They had completely forgotten Ron was in the room.  
  
"Oh, well, you see, it's kind of a long story....."started Harry.  
  
"And we just haven't got the time to explain!" finished Hermione quickly. Although both friends felt bad about lying to Ron, they knew that they really didn't have the time to explain, and Ron just wouldn't understand. He worshipped Krum (or at least pretended to), despite the fact that the Chudley Cannons were his all-time favorite Quidditch team. Hermione strongly suspected it had to do with the fact that he thought she and Krum were still dating, which of course they weren't.  
  
Harry and Ron left a short while later, under the pretense that they thought she needed some sleep. However, long after they left, Krum's words continued to run through her head. She just kept hearing them over and over, especially the last bit. "This isn't over." What did he mean by that?  
  
As she tossed and turned restlessly, one thing kept coming to mind. Scary as it was, he was right. It wasn't over yet; it was just beginning.  
  
A/N: Memorial Day weekend! Yes! No school Monday! More time to right! Okay, you know the drill. Please read this blah, blah, blah, tell me what you think yadda, yadda, yadda, please review, etc. etc. etc. 


	9. Truths and Omissions

A/N: Hey everyone! I'm back again! Long time no see! Okay, this chappie is the start of the stalking.....I hope.  
  
The next morning, Hermione was up bright and early, despite the fact that she had gotten almost no sleep. Her thoughts had been plagued with Krum, and when she did manage to fall asleep, her dreams (or should I say nightmares) were filled with him also. Harry arrived soon after she had showered and dressed.  
  
"Knock knock," he said as he opened the door, rapping slightly on the frame. He smiled as he saw her sitting on the bed, face hidden under her long hair, which she was trying to brush. "I see my sleeping beauty has already awoken."  
  
Hermione's only response was a grunt, as she had come across a particularly painful snarl, although she felt her cheeks grow warm when Harry called her his beauty. As she continued yanking on that same snarl, she felt a pair of hands gently grasp hers and remove the brush from her hands.  
  
"Here 'Mione, let me," he said softly as he began to carefully brush her long locks. Hermione didn't protest; instead she relaxed into Harry as he methodically untangled her snarls. Harry's touch was so gentle and soothing that she almost fell asleep. She felt Harry stop and put the brush down on the nightstand beside the bed. Turning around, she opened her mouth to protest, but she never got the chance. Harry's lips captured hers in a breath-taking kiss. Hermione was so shocked, she didn't even close her eyes, which gave her the opportunity to study Harry. His eyes were closed, and he looked like he was enjoying himself. He pulled away after a few moments, and when his eyes opened she could see they had darkened with desire.  
  
"I've been wanting to do that ever since last night," he whispered, his breath ragged.  
  
Hermione's head was swimming. Harry had just kissed her! And what's more, Harry had just admitted that he had been thinking about her!  
  
"Hermione? You there?"  
  
Words could not form themselves in her head, so she just smiled and nodded.  
  
"Okay, but did you hear anything I said?"  
  
What was Harry asking? Oh, did she hear anything he said? She shook her head.  
  
"I said, are you okay with this, with us?"  
  
"You really have to ask?" she said incredulously, words finally finding a way out.  
  
He smiled and said, "Just wanted to make sure," as he drew her in for another kiss.  
  
Several minutes later, as they drew apart yet again, another thought dawned on Hermione.  
  
"Harry? What about Ron?"  
  
"What about him?"  
  
"Well, I mean, we've always done everything together. And besides, he's our friend. Don't you think we should tell him?"  
  
"Hermione, we will tell him; when the time is right. Don't worry." He went in for another kiss, but she pulled back again.  
  
"Harry, I really think we should tell him. He's our friend. We owe it to him to tell him."  
  
"Hermione, can I ask you something?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Is there a reason you want to tell Ron about us?"  
  
"He's our friend. And he deserves to know."  
  
"Okay, one other question."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Will you let me kiss you again?"  
  
"Not until you promise to tell him," she replied with a devilish grin. Harry groaned and said,  
  
"My girlfriend, the peace-keeper. Okay, I promise to tell Ron about us. Tonight," he added hastily after she glared at him. "Can I kiss you now?"  
  
"Well..." she started. "Harry, I'm just joking. Yes, you can kiss me now." And he did just that.  
  
Finally, when they were both breathless, Hermione pulled back and smiled.  
  
"Harry, as much fun as I'm having, I really think we should go back to the common room. Anyone could walk in on us. Besides," she continued, after seeing his crestfallen look, "isn't it breakfast time? Which would mean that there would be no one in the common room....." she trailed off, letting the implication stand in the air.  
  
They strolled through the halls, hands joined loosely at their sides, stopping every so often when the urge to kiss became too strong to control. As they rounded the last corner, they ran right into Lavender. After apologies were exchanged, Lavender eyed them suspiciously and asked, "What are you two doing here?" Then her eyes widened when she saw their hands joined. Harry and Hermione realized what she was looking at and quickly tried to separate them, but it was too late. The damage had been done.  
  
"Were you two just.....Why are you.....Ooo," she finished, as understanding set in.  
  
"Lavender, please, don't tell anyone," Hermione pleaded, knowing it was futile to deny anything.  
  
"What? Oh, no, I won't tell anyone," she said. Her lips curved into a grin, and she said, "I always thought you guys would be good together!" With that, she bounded off, grin still in place.  
  
"Great, so now what do we do?" groaned Hermione.  
  
"What are you talking about Hermione? You heard Lavender. She said she wouldn't tell anyone," said Harry.  
  
"Honestly Harry, you can be so bloody thick sometimes. Of course she's going to tell everyone. That's what she does. She gossips, and she has the latest 'tidbit' of information on who's with who---us!" Hermione's voice was tinged with hysteria.  
  
"Hermione, why are you getting so worked up about this? So what if everyone knows we're together. Remember, it was you who wanted to tell everyone in the first place."  
  
"Yes, but I don't want people to find out through Lavender. She tends to.....ahem.....distort the truth to make it sound more interesting."  
  
"How much distortion are we talking?"  
  
"Umm.....well, let's see. Remember when Fleur dumped Ron last year?"  
  
"Yeah.....your point?"  
  
"Well, according to Lavender, Ron was cheating on Fleur with her sister while at the same time Fleur was secretly dating Draco. Does that answer your question?"  
  
"Oh boy," was all he said. She nodded.  
  
"Yeah, it's that bad."  
  
"Well, I sincerely doubt there's anything we can do to stop her. She ran off so fast that I thought she was seriously going to slam into the wall because she couldn't stop. Besides, anything we say will just add to Lavender's story, and make the whole thing worse," said Harry.  
  
"So what should we do?"  
  
"I guess we just have to live with it until the gossip dies down. I don't really see anything else we can do."  
  
"Yeah, I guess so," said Hermione, but she didn't sound too convinced.  
  
"C'mon 'Mione, we can do this. We can make it through some little gossip. Remember how we made it through Rita Skeeter?"  
  
"But Harry, that was completely different. What she said about us was a complete lie. Now, it's actually true."  
  
"I'm not entirely sure how inaccurate Rita may have been, but that's beside the point. Hermione, my point is, we made it through that, and we will make it through this. I promise," he said, and he gave her a little kiss.  
  
"Mmm," she sighed. "Damn you and your perfect lips."  
  
"Well, if you would prefer it, my perfect lips can find some other girl to kiss, one who won't curse them," he said jokingly.  
  
"Hey!" she swatted him playfully. "I didn't say I didn't like them," she whispered as she pulled him in for another, longer, kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck as her hands wound into his unruly hair. As they kissed, Harry's tongue tentatively licked her lips, which opened to grant him further access. As their tongues dueled, Harry couldn't help but let out a groan.  
  
Hermione pulled back, looking concerned. "Harry, are you okay?"  
  
"I won't be if you don't get back here right now," he said as his lips sought out hers for another ravishing kiss. After a bit, he broke the kiss as his lips traveled down the length of her neck.  
  
"Harry?" said Hermione breathlessly. "Don't you think we should hurry and get back to the common room? Breakfast is almost over." Harry gave her neck one last nibble, and then the two set off rather quickly for the Gryffindor common room. Once they arrived, they each went their separate ways to their rooms, so not to cause any suspicions when the rest of their house returned.  
  
Upon entering her room, she inhaled deeply, glad to be away from the sterile smell of the hospital wing, even if it meant almost choking on the over-powering scent of her roommates various perfumes.  
  
"It's so good to be back," she thought. She was just about to flop on her bed, when something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. It was a red rose, with a little note attached to the stem. Impending dread filled her as she picked it up, careful not to prick her fingers. Once glance at the card brought back every heart-wrenching nightmare she had been trying so hard to forget. It said:  
  
My Hermione,  
  
I am willing to forgive your actions these past several months. That is how strong my love for you is. You know my love is pure, and together we can be eternally happy.  
  
Love always and forever,  
  
Viktor  
  
Swallowing, she fought back the lump in her throat and the tears that threatened to cascade over and down her cheeks.  
  
"What do I do? What do I do?" she thought to herself frantically. Her roommates would be back any second, and the last thing she needed was to breakdown in front of them. Her eyes fell on her trunk, and without hesitation she threw it open and thrust the rose and its card in. She shut it, and then, having a second thought, opened it again and covered it with several layers of clothing so she wouldn't have to see it every time she opened her trunk. Without a moment to spare, she flung herself on her bed, as her original intent had been, and tried to calm herself. She heard the voices of Lavender and Parvarti as they climbed the stairs, and shut her eyes, feigning sleep. She heard them open the door, and then heard Parvarti squeal when she saw Hermione.  
  
"Hermione! You're back!"  
  
"What? Oh, hi Parvarti, Lavender," she said, faking a groggy voice.  
  
"You're back! You're back!"  
  
"Parvarti, don't make it sound like I've been away for ages. I was in the hospital wing for one night with a hurt ankle," said Hermione.  
  
"Yeah, well there's something I want to ask you," she said, eyeing Lavender. "I was just wondering, if the rumors were true. You know, about you and Harry."  
  
"Why don't you ask Lavender, she seems so unable to keep her mouth shut," said Hermione icily, glaring at her.  
  
"Oh, I already did. She said I should ask you," said Parvarti, oblivious to Hermione's tone and stare.  
  
"Oh, really, did she? Well now then, what a surprise that is. She doesn't seem to have a problem speaking for me, or anyone else for that matter," said Hermione, her eyes still coldly fixed on Lavender, who was sheepishly trying to avoid her glare.  
  
"Yes, Parvarti. It's true that Harry and I are together, although I don't know how much else you've heard, or how this is any of your business. Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I'll go get a breath of fresh air." With that, she got up, walked through the door, and slammed it just a little louder than necessary.  
  
The rest of the day dragged on, seemingly lasting forever. For the first time in her life, Hermione was actually dreading going to her classes, because then she was forced to sit there as everyone stared at her and whispered about her and Harry. Hermione refused to make eye contact with any of them. She sat rigidly, staring straight ahead, ignoring anyone brave enough to actually approach her. When dinner finally rolled around, she was utterly exhausted. Unfortunately, the gods didn't seem to think so, because dinner proved to be nearly as exhausting as her entire day had been.  
  
She plopped down in the open chair next to Harry and rested her head on his shoulder.  
  
"Rough day?" he asked.  
  
"The worst. No one would stop talking about us. They didn't even seem to care that I was right there, and that I could hear every word they were saying."  
  
"Well, hopefully tomorrow will be easier, now that everyone's gotten used to us," he said.  
  
"So it's true. The rumors are true," came the deep voice of Ron behind them. 


	10. A Midnight Chat

A/N: Okay, first of all, just let me say that I am sooooooo sorry I haven't updated in so long. I'm trying to juggle homework, with my other story, plus midterms are like three weeks away *shudders*. What am I saying? That's not an excuse...anyway, I'm really sorry! Now, on with the chappie!!  
  
A/N: Also, I'm still working on incorporating the whole 'burning roses' thing...funny...I made a story with a title that I have yet to work with...oh well, I find it amusing...  
  
"I don't believe this! I don't bloody believe this! My two best friends are going out, and the first I hear of it is from the local Gossip Girl! Some friends you are," he said before storming off.  
  
Hermione sighed as she rubbed her temples.  
  
"You were going to take care of it?" she asked softly, weariness evident in her voice. He hung his head in shame, nothing to say on his behalf.  
  
"I think I am going to bed," she said slowly, rising from the table and heading for the door.  
  
"'Mione," said Harry behind her.  
  
"Harry, not now," she said, not stopping. Making her way to her room, she put her books away. Slipping into her most comfortable pajamas, she pulled down the covers to slide into bed. There, resting innocently against her pillow, was another rose. There was no note attached; it wasn't necessary. She already knew whom it was from. Shivering slightly, and not from the cold, she picked it up and placed it in her trunk at the base of her bed along with the others, less anyone else should find them. Especially Lavender.  
  
"I can just imagine how crazy she would go if she ever found out," Hermione murmured to herself as she drifted off to sleep.  
  
She didn't sleep well that night, but then again, she couldn't remember the last time she had slept well. Her dreams were, once again, plagued with images of Krum. Krum during their relationship; Krum at the train station; Krum at the school, and so on and so forth. She awoke, scream at her lips, drenched in sweat. Realizing it was just a dream, she settled back down against her pillows, breathing heavily. She could feel her heart racing and although she was sweaty, she was shivering. Glancing at the clock, she sighed. It was only one o'clock...at least five more hours until any sensible person would think of getting up. Obviously, she wasn't going to fall asleep any time soon...  
  
Rising, she pulled on her robe and slid her feet into her slippers. Opening the door softly, she slipped through it and closed it equally as quietly behind her. Descending the stairs, she was shocked to see she wasn't alone. On the couch in front of the chair sat none other than Harry.  
  
He looked up sharply at her intrusion, but relaxed almost equally as quickly.  
  
"Couldn't sleep either?" he asked.  
  
"Not really," she said, sitting on the couch next to him.  
  
"Listen, 'Mione, I'm really sorry about what happened today..." he started, but was cut off by Hermione shushing him.  
  
"It's okay Harry," she said, wanting to put it all behind her, preferably as far as possible.  
  
"No Hermione, it's not okay. What I did.....what happened...I know it hit you hard. You were having an incredibly crappy day to begin with, and then I screwed everything over by pissing off one of your, our, best friends," he said, deeply contrite.  
  
"Harry....." she said, not knowing what to say. Sighing, she rested her head on his shoulder, snuggling as close as she could. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer still, until she was practically lying in his lap. She'd promised herself she was just resting her eyes, and that she would get up in five minutes.  
  
*~*  
  
Opening her eyes, she squinted at the brightness. Yawning, she glanced around, confused. Where was she? Closing her eyes again, she tried to remember the events of last night. There was the Ron-dinner episode, then the rose, and then...of gods! She had gone and done it again! She had fallen asleep on Harry.  
  
Looking over at him, she was stunned to see him already awake, and apparently for a while.  
  
"Hey you," he whispered softly, fingers toying with her hair.  
  
"Hey," she whispered back. Sitting up, she leaned over and kissed him softly on the lips. Pulling back, she smiled. "Mmm, I missed that."  
  
"Me too."  
  
"So tell me. How long have you been awake?" she asked, worried she had done something embarrassing in her sleep.  
  
"A while," he said. "Long enough to know that I was right. You are beautiful, even when you're sleeping." And it was true. As she had slept, he had just watched her, mystified. She was so beautiful, curled up on his shoulder, hair splayed out like an angel.  
  
She blushed at his compliment before kissing him again, this time on the cheek.  
  
"What time is it?" she asked, never wanting this moment to end.  
  
"Almost five," he said. And then, as if he could read her mind, "I wish we could stay here forever."  
  
"Me too," she whispered. As she lay there, she realized how content she was, to just rest her head on his shoulder, his hand once again threaded in her hair. Hermione also realized that for the first time in a very long time, she had slept contentedly.  
  
"Wow," she said, not realizing she was speaking aloud.  
  
"What?" said Harry.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You said 'wow'. Wow what?"  
  
"Just thinking how this is the first time in...well, in quite a while that I've slept well," she said.  
  
"Oh..." he said, not quite sure how to respond to that.  
  
"It's okay Harry," she said, understanding. He nodded, not wanting to say any more on the subject.  
  
"Tell you what 'Mione," he said.  
  
"What?" she asked, not sure what he was talking about.  
  
"First thing this morning I'm gonna find Ron and explain everything to him," he said.  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Really." She kissed him again, still softly but with more passion then before. Breaking away before they went too far, she smiled at his disappointment.  
  
"So how long would you say we've been here?" she asked.  
  
"Dunno...maybe four hours? You came down a little after one, and it's about five now...so yeah, four hours more or less." Her face darkened at the remembrance of last night. Harry noticed her sour face.  
  
"What? What is it?"  
  
"He's at it again," Hermione sighed.  
  
A/N: Well there you have it! Now let's see if I can update a little more quickly than last time next time...and if you can figure out what the heck I just said, then you should win a gold medal in...I dunno, but you deserve one. I'm kinda tired in case you didn't pick up on it...  
  
A/N: Y'all know the drill at this point...read, review, blah blah blah...and in case I don't get a chance to update before the New Year (which hopefully I will), Happy Holidays!  
  
A/N: FYI, Gossip Girl is a great series if anyone cares to read it! 


	11. Determined to Win

A/N: I'm back guys! Miss me? *silence* Umm..... that's the part where y'all are supposed to go "Why yes! We missed you tons!" (I'm just teasing y'all.....but seriously, you know you love me! =])  
  
A/N: I know I say this every time, but I really am working on incorporating the burning roses.....it's not easy to juggle three stories plus one I'm beta-ing, and school.....especially not when I really should be studying for mid-terms.....but I love you guys so much I couldn't let y'all down now.....so enjoy!  
  
"Whaddya mean he's at it again?" asked Harry angrily.  
  
"Harry, you know exactly what I mean," said Hermione quietly.   
  
"I know 'Mione, I just.....I can't believe he's at it again....." said Harry, still angry. He sat up, back rigid, hands idle in her hair. She could practically see the wheels turning in his head, and she knew what he was thinking. She had a weird habit of knowing almost exactly what he was thinking, although she'd never thought much of it, until now, when she was blessing it, because she knew what he was thinking wasn't pretty.   
  
"Harry, don't," she said, not feeling it necessary to say more than that.   
  
"Don't what?" he asked.   
  
"Please don't go after him and create some huge confrontation before you beat him to a bloody pulp. Let me handle this. Please," she added, seeing his hesitant face.   
  
"But 'Mione," he protested. "You already tried to handle this, and look where we are now. He won't leave you alone, and your boyfriend is on the verge of beating his bloody brains out."   
  
"I know Harry, I know. But let me try one more time.......please?" she asked, using her little puppy-dog eyes she knew would always be his downfall. He sighed at her expression before growling and scooping her into his lap as he said,  
  
"You witch! (No pun intended.) You know that look is my mortal weakness!" She grinned at him before pulling him in for a light kiss that quickly became more passionate. He ran his tongue over her bottom lip and when she giggled from the tickling sensation his feathery touches created, he took full advantage of it and thrust his tongue into her mouth to continue his exploration. Soon enough, their tongues were dueling once more and both were gasping with pleasure. Pulling back a fraction of an inch (Hermione wouldn't let him go further than that), he planted little butterfly kisses on her mouth as he said, "That, and your kisses."  
  
"Good to know," she said, mentally tucking away the information for later use and she leaned into his waiting lips once more. He grinned against her lips and pulled her even closer against him, until their bodies were molded together, and he could feel every gasp and moan.   
  
It was amazing to her. Harry seemed to know exactly what she wanted and exactly how to please her, and yet she never had to say a word. Take now for instance. She yearned to be closer to him, to feel his body flush against hers, and low and behold, he pulled her to him until their bodies were touching in every possible manner. She sighed contentedly into his mouth, and with a final kiss, pulled back. He groaned; looking at her with a look filled with enough hear to melt an iceberg, he said in a raspy, slightly out-of-breath voice, "You are such a tease!"  
  
"And like you mind?" she asked, a smirk playing her lips.   
  
"I didn't say that," he said, trying to desperately to reclaim her lips with his, but she was apparently intent on eluding his for every time he sought them out, she leaned away, out of his touch.   
  
"I should go Harry, before someone finds us here and decides that there isn't already enough talk of us out there." With a last peck, she rose and walked up the stairs to her dorm room, giving him a final look over her shoulder before she disappeared from view.   
  
Once she was gone, Harry sank back into the couch, her words ringing in his ears. "He's at it again." The words seemed to repeat over and over in his head, becoming a mantra that haunted him. His hands balled into fists; he had to do something. He wasn't about to sit here and wait for Hermione to get hurt again. Not this time. Rising, he returned to his own room to shower and dress.   
  
Hermione had the feeling Harry was going to do something rash, despite what she had said. No, scratch that. She knew Harry was going to do something rash. It wasn't like him at all to sit around and do nothing. Although it flattered her in a sense that Harry cared about her enough to want to protect her like that, it also irked her because she knew if she didn't stop him, he would do something completely unreasonable, like try to beat Krum in the middle of the Great Hall. And not that she actually cared about the scum bucket, but she had to stop Harry so he wouldn't receive detention, or worse, lose Quidditch privileges. If he was forced to stop playing Quidditch for any amount of time because he did something that he felt necessary to protect her, she wouldn't be able to forgive him, or herself for that matter.   
  
Which is why she now sat impatiently, waiting for whoever was in the loo to hurry up and let the rest of them have a turn. Of course, knowing her dormmates, it would be at least another ten minutes before they were even close to being finished. Unlike Hermione, all they cared about were their looks, which meant they could spend hours on end in that room, perfecting their make-up and what not. It really irritated her at times, especially liken now, when time itself was short at hand.   
  
Banging on the door, she said, "Come on! Hurry up!" But unfortunately, it appeared as though they were still in the shower, as there was no response. Fidgeting nervously, she finally decided to skip showering altogether. Dressing quickly, she performed a simple charm to brush out her hair (it even made it less bushy), another to brush her teeth, and a last one to rid her of any smell she may have gained during the night. After she was as clean as she was going to get, she set off anxiously, praying to Merlin she wasn't too late.   
  
*~*  
  
Harry, on the other hand, was slightly luckier with the shower, seeing as guys tended to take about five minutes in the loo altogether. They could care less what their hair looked like, and what else was there to do besides shower? He was waiting for whoever was in there to finish up, trying to figure out what to do about Krum, when the door swung open and out stepped none other than Ron. They were both shocked to see one another for a minute, and then they both started talking at once.   
  
"Erm, I just wanted to say....." started Harry just as Ron said,  
  
"Look mate, I'm sorry for what I said....." They broke off and looked at each other, and then Harry said quickly before Ron could open his mouth again,  
  
"I'm sorry mate, we should have told you before anyone else, and we were going to, but after Lavender saw us, I was so preoccupied with trying to calm down Hermione it just slipped my mind. We weren't trying to keep it from you. Honest."   
  
"I know mate, and I'm sorry too, for yelling last night. I wasn't thinking straight, and I know you guys would never try to keep anything from me (at his part, Harry inwardly cringed, his mind immediately going to the Krum thing), and I was just really surprised."   
  
"So we're cool then?"  
  
"Like always.....Potty and the Weasel as Malfoy so kindly puts it," said Ron before they both burst into laughter.   
  
*~*  
  
She dashed into the Great Hall, gasping for breath and scanning the room for Harry. Not seeing him, she sighed in relief that she beaten him before plopping into a chair at the Gryffindor table. A short while later, in walked Harry, and, to her great surprise, Ron. They were the last two people she expected to see together after yesterday's events. But they looked as though nothing had ever happened, laughing and joking just like old times. Harry sat down next to her, Ron across from her, just as they always sat. It was funny how she never noticed just how much time she and Harry spend together.....they always say next to each other at meals, and in classes, and they were constantly together.   
  
Harry smiled at her, and laced his hand with hers loosely.   
  
"I talked to Ron," he whispered to her. "Everything's cool." She smiled at him and kissed him lightly on the lips, much to the disgust of Ron, who wrinkled his nose and turned away.   
  
"Hey!" he said, "The mail's here! Maybe the latest issue of 'Chudley Cannons Digest' is out!" Harry and Hermione just shook their heads. They watched as the owls swooped in and flew over to whomever they were delivering to.   
  
Harry felt Hermione go rigid, and when he looked over at her, her face had gone ashen. She knew that owl. How many letters had it delivered over the summer? As it flew in, she thought that maybe, just maybe, it wasn't for her. Then she saw what was clamped in its beak, and her heart fell. Clutched tightly in its beak was yet another red rose, to add to her growing collection of the dreaded things. It looked as though Krum wasn't going down without a fight. A fight he was determined to win.   
  
A/N: And now ladies and gentlemen, the million-dollar question is.....who will win? Stay tuned to find out.   
  
A/N: Also, I was gonna do this whole "dude" "dude" thing for Harry and Ron, but then I decided they actually had to talk, so.....yeah.   
  
A/N: On a final note, I wanted to thank everyone for reviewing my story.....they really do mean a lot to me.....so keep 'em coming! 


	12. Burning Roses

A/N: Hey guys! I'm back! Looong time no talk...sorry about that. But no more waiting...the new chappie is here! Oh, and you'll notice that at last, we have burning roses!!!  
  
The days dragged on, gradually turning into weeks and eventually months, and although he made no other attempts to contact her, the roses continued to arrive with a chilling consistency. Each and every morning, the same dismaying owl arrived, carrying another rose. They never came attached with a note of any kind. None was necessary. Harry and Hermione both knew whom they were coming from, although unfortunately, nothing could be done to prevent their arrival. They'd already tried.  
  
*Flashback*  
  
"Surely you can do something!" Harry protested to Dumbledore after they explained the situation. The old man slowly shook his head, obviously hating to say no to two of his favorite students.  
  
"He has made no other efforts to talk to you in any way. I'm sorry Ms. Granger, Mr. Potter. There's nothing more we can do." They'd sighed, knowing he was right. Yes, it was strange, but there was nothing they could do to stop it.  
  
After they'd left, Hermione had stopped Harry with a gentle touch, wrapping her hands around his clenched fists. She rested her head against his chest and said, "It's okay Harry. Maybe he'll just give it up." He smiled at her optimism, and although he didn't think it was likely, who was he to stomp on her parade?  
  
"Maybe, 'Mione," he said softly, a touch of hope in his voice. "Maybe."  
  
*End Flashback*  
  
That had been at least a month ago, and Krum still showed no signs of stopping. The flowers arrived with a relentless precision. Hermione had given up trying to hide them from her roommates; what was the point? Surely they had noticed by now, and if they hadn't...well, then they didn't really deserve to know what was going on anyway.  
  
She chose a rather odd alternative instead- at the end of every week, she gathered the seven roses she'd received and took them outside to the edge of the Forbidden Forest, behind Hagrid's hut, lest anyone should see her. There, she threw them in a small pit and lit the entire thing on fire, burning the roses until they were nothing more than a pile of ashes. It gave her a small satisfaction to watch as they slowly withered away under the flames of the min-bonfire. After they were gone, she performed a simple cleaning spell, to prevent anyone from finding out what she was doing, and then went on her way.  
  
As far as she could tell, Harry had no idea where she quietly disappeared to every Sunday afternoon (he was usually too engaged in a conversation with Ron or another one of the "guys" to actually notice she was gone). And that suited her just fine. It was probably better that he didn't know, anyway.  
  
One such afternoon, she was busy tending to her fire when she heard a twig snap behind her. Spinning around, she saw no one. Warily, she scanned the area around where she was, certain she had heard the noise. After finding she was alone, she turned back to her fire, uneasy. She had heard something, she was sure of it. She continued watching the fire, all the more aware of her surroundings. As the last petal melted away, she felt a faint breathing on her neck. Stifling a scream, she spun around, only to come face-to-face with...nothing. There was no one there. But she was absolutely positive someone had been breathing down her neck...she had the goosebumps to prove it.  
  
An idea struck her then. She turned around again, and waited for the breathing to continue on her neck. When she felt the soft breaths return, she casually reached her hand backwards, and just as she had suspected, she connected with something solid. Getting a good handful, she twisted around again, and this time, they, whoever they were, couldn't move as she had a large handful of their clothes clutched tightly in her fist.  
  
"Who are you?" she asked forcefully. Rather than answer, the person pulled down the top of their invisibility cloak to reveal none other than Harry himself.  
  
"Harry?!" she asked, shocked. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Well, I noticed that you kept disappearing right around this time, so I decided to follow you, and just see what you were up to. You weren't supposed to catch me," he added sheepishly.  
  
"Oh," she said, not sure what else to say. While a (small) part of her was upset that Harry had followed her, she was happy that he cared about her enough to notice she was gone.  
  
He noticed her hesitance, and, extending his hand. "C'mon 'Mione, let's go back inside." She nodded and accepted his hand. Arm in arm, they strode back towards the castle without a backwards glance at the now-smoldering pit behind them. Consequently, neither one of them noticed the figure who emerged from behind another invisibility cloak.  
  
As he watched their slow retreat, he grumbled menacingly, "So this is how you thank me is it? We'll see about that."  
  
Several hours later, Harry and Hermione were sprawled comfortably across the couch in front of the fireplace, Harry lounging in one corner and Hermione laying down on the rest, her head resting on Harry's chest. His arms were crossed across the front of her, and her hands were clasped tightly in his. They were silent; neither one felt the need to speak. They were content where they were. That is, until Harry's stomach growled loudly, and Hermione swore she could feel the vibrations from under her.  
  
Twisting in his arms, she smiled broadly and said, "Hungry, are we?"  
  
He smirked back and said, "Just a little." Hermione sat up and looked at him, a devilish glint in her eyes.  
  
"Want to go raid the kitchen?" He sat up, his jaw went slack, and he knew he looked like a complete fool sitting there with his mouth hanging open, but he couldn't believe it. Hermione, Miss I've-Never-Broken-A-Rule-In-My- Entire-Life, had just suggested they go downstairs after hours and raid the kitchen.  
  
"What?" she asked, as he continued to stare at her. "If you don't want to, all you have to do is say so..."  
  
"No, I do. It's just...you're saying we should actually BREAK the rules?" She punched him playfully.  
  
"I do know how to live ya know. Not very often, but every now and again...." He smiled and took her hand. They stood and walked over to the portrait hole. After checking to make sure no one was around, they snuck downstairs and sped off towards the kitchen.  
  
They had just reached the main floor and turned to go around the corner when a large figure stepped out of the shadows in front of them.  
  
"Hello Hermione," he said, and his voice sent a chill down her spine. What did he want with her?! Couldn't he see it was over?  
  
She refused to answer him. Instead, she went to sidestep him, but he simply stepped over, effectively blocking her progress. She tried the other way, but again, he stopped her.  
  
"Let. Me. By," she said icily, emphasizing each word.  
  
"Why should I?" he sneered.  
  
"Let her by, Krum," said Harry, speaking for the first time.  
  
"Tut tut Potter...always have to be the hero," said Krum mockingly. Hermione tried to maneuver her way around him, but he grabbed her wrists painfully. She tugged futilely, knowing she wasn't nearly as strong as he.  
  
Harry quickly stepped up to Krum, getting right in his face. "Let her go Krum. Now. Or so help me God, the only thing they'll find of you in the morning will be a bloody lump on the floor." Krum didn't seem frightened though, despite the fact that Harry had a good few inches on him. It was almost as though he was enjoying himself, and he applied a little more pressure to her wrists. She winced in pain, and Harry lost it. He stepped back quickly, and before Krum even saw it coming, he punched him right in the jaw. Krum immediately let go of her wrists and brought his hands up to his face as the pain coursed through him. But Harry wasn't done; he slammed another punch into Krum's stomach, and Krum doubled over as a howl of pain escaped his lips. He sank to his knees, eyes squeezed shut. Hermione looked alarmed, although it was for Harry, not for the pathetic creature in front of her.  
  
"Harry! Was that necessary? I mean, not like he didn't deserve it, but what if you get in trouble?" she asked nervously, biting her lower lip in consternation.  
  
"So what if I do?" he asked. "At least it was for a good cause." She smiled at him, and with a last glance at Krum, they continued on their way to the kitchen, ignoring his groans and moans. They had almost reached the end of the hallway when they were stopped dead in their tracks by his words.  
  
"You think burning those roses is going to change anything?" he said weakly. Hermione looked at Harry in shock before looking back at Krum again. He was sitting against a wall, looking down at them despite his obvious state of pain. "You're mine."  
  
"No! Hermione!" Harry shouted after Hermione as she stalked down the hall towards Krum. He sprinted after her and reached her just as she reached Krum. Without hesitation, she slapped Krum as hard as she could across the face.  
  
"I am NOT yours," she whispered furiously. "I never was, and I never will be. Ever!"  
  
"That's what you think," said Krum. "But you'll see."  
  
"No, I won't," she said pointedly. "I'm with Harry now, and he's made more happy in these past few months than you could ever make me. Do you understand that? I'm happy. And if you love me as much as you say you do, than you should respect the fact that I want to be happy, and I can't be when I'm with you."  
  
"But Herminny-"  
  
"My name," she said icily, "is Hermione. Got it? Her-my-oh-knee."  
  
"Hermione, you honestly think this fool can make you more happy than I can? Think about everything we did together, all the things that I bought for you. What can he do? What's he got to give you?"  
  
"That's just it! You think buying me gifts I don't need and have no use for and taking me out to fancy restaurants where I couldn't even read the menu was making me happy?! No. I'll tell you what happy is. Happy is knowing that the person you love loves you back. Happy is just being content to be with the person you love. Happy is looking into their eyes and knowing that they'll always be there for you, no matter what. Not just if you travel in the right social group, or wear the right clothes or whatever; they love you because of you."  
  
"But Hermione, I do love you," argued Krum.  
  
"How can you love me?!" she shrieked. "How? You don't know anything about me! You don't know anything about my family, or my friends, or what I like to do; you never even so much as made an effort to try to get to know me. At all."  
  
"So? We can start over. Get to know each other."  
  
"No Krum, that's where you're wrong. There is no more 'we'. There is no more starting over. It's done. Over. So please, just get over yourself and move on." With that, she turned and walked away, Harry tagging along behind, leaving a very awestruck Krum behind.  
  
"I'll make you see. Don't you worry, Hermione," he whispered to himself before rising and storming off to his dormroom.  
  
A/N: Thank you in advance for all those that submit your beautiful reviews!!  
  
A/N: And if you want, check out my new Draco/Ginny story, Cheesy Poems and Secret Admirers, listed under my actual penname, Jenalla. 


	13. Declarations and Dances

A/N: Okay, I apologize now…I'm sorry I haven't updated in…checks dates…two-and-a-half months…please don't hurt me…

I actually had started the new chappie, but then my f-ing computer, which hates me, decided to be an even bigger bitch and delete every single one of my documents…so it got deleted…along with all my other chappies and stories, and all my school work…lucky me, right? But anyway, on with the story!

"Hermione, that was brilliant!" Harry said a tad breathlessly, nearly jogging to keep pace with Hermione. "Please, remind me never to try and buy anything for you, or take you anywhere other than Hogsmeade."

"That's not the point Harry!" she said, spinning so suddenly Harry almost crashed into her. Catching his footing, he stopped and looked at her as she continued.

"It's not that he tried to buy me things, or took me to these fancy, expensive restaurants. That was fine. It was a nice gesture, but there was nothing else to go along with it. He never tried to talk to me, or ask me what I wanted to do. He never made any other effort to even get to know me…not one. He thought that those things were enough to keep me with him. That's the point."

"Okay," he said softly. "That's the point." He took her hand in his and squeezed it softly as they made their way back to the common room, thoughts of raiding the kitchen forgotten. As they approached the Fat Lady, Harry stopped for a moment.

"Hey, Hermione?" he asked.

"Yes?"

"Well…you know the end of the year dance is coming up…and…well…I was uh…"

"Spit it out Harry," Hermione said with a smile. She knew what he wanted to ask, but she still wanted to hear him say it.

"Well…uhh…would you like to go with me?" She kissed him softly on the lips and replied,

"Of course I would."

"Okay then," he said. "Consider it a date." And he kissed her again.

"Ugh…Gin, could you hand me the next one please?" Hermione sighed from inside the changing room. She was exhausted already, and this was only the first store they'd gone to.

"Which one?" Ginny's voice filtered into the room among the other voices in the area.

"Hmm…the purple one? Or did I already try that one on?"

"You tried that one on, I think two or three before this one."

"Okay…which ones do I have left then?"

"The red one, and the green one…oh, and this light blue one. Oh wait, the green one is mine. Never mind."

"Okay. Let's go with the blue one." Hermione grabbed the colorful fabric Ginny handed over the top of the door and slid into it…or tried to, anyway.

"Oof…" she said as she tugged the fabric, trying to pull it up, but it refused to budge. "Bugger," she swore softly. "Am I really that fat?"

"Hermione! You are not fat!" Ginny shrieked from outside.

"Then why can't I fit in this stupid dress?" she muttered, but once again, Ginny heard her.

"Because it's probably from the little girl's section!" Ginny said exasperatedly. Hermione struggled out of it and checked the tags, and sure enough, it was from the girl's department.   
  
"Thank god," she said. "Okay Gin, hand me that last one and let's pray it actually fits." Ginny handed her the dress, and just as a precaution, she checked the tags before she tried it.

She zipped it up and glanced at herself in front of the mirror, and she froze. The dress seemed to have taken on a new form. It clung to her perfectly, accentuating her good curves and hiding any she didn't like. Hitting about mid-calf in the front (it had an a-symmetrical hemline), it hung a few inches on the floor in the back, but that was perfect, because with her shoes, it would just barely, if at all, skim the floor. And if you got it in the light just so, it sparkled intensely, although upon examining the fabric, she couldn't find anything that would make it sparkle.

"Hermione! Are you coming out or what?" Ginny banged on the door impatiently. Hermione opened the door, and Ginny gasped.

"What do you think?" Hermione asked.

"It's…beautiful," Ginny said sincerely. Hermione smiled victoriously.

"I do believe we have a winner."

Her strength renewed, they continued shopping, two girls on a mission. To go along with their dresses, they bought coordinating shoes (Hermione's were a deep red and Ginny's a forest green), little handbags, and just for fun, some cute hair accessories. Ginny bought a green flower to pin in the front of her hair, and Hermione some little sparkly clips to match the shimmering of her dress.

Finally, they collapsed into two chairs at a little street café for some lunch. Over sandwiches and some lemonade, they discussed all sorts of things. Finally, the topic of the dance came up.

"So Ginny…who are you going with anyway?" Hermione asked casually, although she really wanted to know. Ginny glanced down at her half-eaten sandwich and mumbled something. Unfortunately, Hermione's hearing wasn't as keen as Ginny's, and she couldn't hear what she said.

"What? Speak up Gin, can't hear you." Ginny mumbled something as unintelligible as before, although it was slightly louder.

"Ginny? Seriously, speak up." Finally, she looked up and said,

"Draco Malfoy." Hermione stared at her in shock for several seconds, her words being heard, but their meaning not clearly registering.

"What…but…_the _Draco Malfoy?" Hermione asked, simply not able to comprehend what Ginny was saying. She nodded slowly, and Hermione continued to gape at her.

"But…how?" Ginny sighed softly, before answering.

"I…I don't know," she began. "It was weird. I've grown up my entire life being warned that the Malfoy's were such evil people, and to never, ever have any sort of contact with them. And up until last year, I didn't." At this point, Hermione broke in.

"You've been with him for an entire year?! And you didn't tell me?!"

"What was I supposed to do?" Ginny shot back. "I knew you'd act like this."

"What do you expect Ginny? Malfoy has hated us since first year. He's never even spoken a kind word to any of us."

"But don't you see?!" Ginny cried. "Can you name the last time he's insulted you? Go on, think. Name one time in the past year he's done so." Hermione thought about it, and much to her surprise, Ginny was right. She couldn't think of a time recently Malfoy had insulted them.

"And why do you think that is?" Ginny asked quietly. She sighed again, and added. "I know it sounds crazy, but when I'm with him…he's not a Malfoy, and I'm not a Weasley. We're just Draco and Ginny, two people who just enjoy spending time with one another. He's like a different person when I'm around. Kind of like he has a completely different personality, that he only let's me see." Hermione listened, and she could tell that Ginny was serious. As hard as it was, she understood where Ginny was coming from. Besides, who was she to tell her friend whom to date? Just look at her track record.

"And you guys have really been together for a year?" Hermione asked. Ginny nodded, and said,

"Well, almost. It'll be a year as of tomorrow."

"But tomorrow is the dance!" Hermione said in surprise.

"I know. That's when we got together last year." Hermione couldn't believe it. How could she not have seen this?

"Ginny, I'm sorry I wasn't there for you. I'm sure this hasn't been easy for you."

"Sometimes I wonder…but in all honesty, I don't think I'd trade this past year for anything. I…I love him," she admitted.

"How do you know?" Hermione asked.

"I'm not sure…just little things. Like whenever I hear his voice, my stomach flutters and my knees get all weak and start to tremble. And when I see him, I start to smile and I just can't stop. He's…the last person I ever expected to fall in love with, but I did. And there's absolutely nothing I can do about it. He's got me, whether he likes it or not."

"Just be careful," Hermione warned, making a mental note to have a little conversation with Malfoy later. "I don't want you to get hurt." Ginny nodded and hugged her friend tightly, whispering a small 'thank you' in her ear.

"Hey! Malfoy!" He glanced up, scanning the room for who was calling him. He was stunned when his eyes landed on none other than Hermione Granger. He opened his mouth to say something snide, but then he remembered his promise to Ginny and the retort died on his tongue.

"Yes?" he said coolly.

"A word, if you don't mind?" She glanced at Crabbe and Goyle, seated on either side of him. "Privately." They glanced at him, and he nodded for them to leave. Once they were gone, he looked back at her.

"Okay, listen. You're the last person I'd like to be talking to right now, but I felt as though I had to. Ginny told me everything, so I just wanted to come to tell you if you hurt her in anyway, I will personally come after you with every curse I've ever learned. Which is many more than those we've learned here," she added. He nodded at her soberly. She turned to go, and he said softly,

"I have no intention of hurting her. Ever." She turned back around and smiled.

"Good. Then I guess I won't have to kick your arse after all."

"If I ever hurt her, I think I'd kick my own arse before you," he said, and he smirked, trying to lighten his words, but she saw that the smirk didn't quite reach his eyes. Hermione was startled at the intense gaze in his eyes.

'He loves her,' she thought to herself. 'I'll be damned.' She left him alone with his thoughts after that, as she made her way back to her room.

Thankfully, Dumbledore had had the good sense to end classes early the nest day, so they would have enough time to get ready.

They had decided to do each other's hair and make-up. Hermione pulled Ginny's hair back in a simple yet elegant chignon, and then curled several tendrils to frame her face. She then pinned the flower in the front of her head, off to one side.

"I love the flower Gin," she said earnestly. "It sets off your hair so well."

"Thanks," Ginny said. "Okay, it's your turn."

For Hermione, Ginny did a half ponytail, and curled the rest of her hair that was loose. For the finishing touches, she strategically placed her sparkly clips so they covered her entire head without looking cheesy.

The make-up they kept to a minimum. On Ginny, Hermione used a warm honey shadow to enhance her eyes. She added a sweep of blush and used a deep red lipstick. For Hermione, Ginny used a pale pink shimmery eye shadow with a darker pink gloss.

After pronouncing each other done, they examined themselves in the mirror.

"Ohh! Gin, I love this shadow! Can I borrow it sometime?" Hermione squealed.

"Only if I can borrow this lipstick."

"Keep it. It really doesn't work for me."

"Really? Thanks!"

At last, Hermione had the sense to glance at the clock.

"Bloody hell! Ginny, look at the time!" They immediately began to get dressed, as they only had a half-hour to finish getting ready.

Twenty minutes later, they were ready to go. With a final check in the mirror, they grabbed their bags and headed downstairs.

Harry was mid-sentence in a conversation with Ron and Neville when he saw several girls making their way down the stairs. His breath caught in his throat when he realized one of them was Hermione.

"Harry? Are you okay? Harry?" He heard Ron talking to him, but he couldn't find a single thing to say.

"What are you looking at mate?" Ron followed his line of sight, and he too gasped.

"Ginny! What the hell…?" he asked, clearly unaware that Ginny would also be attending the dance. "Wait a minute. Who are you going with?" Ginny ignored him.

"Virginia Weasley…I demand to know this instant who you are going to the bloody dance with!" She finally looked at him, her eyes ablaze with fury. She marched up to him, backing him into a wall.

"You demand?" she screeched. "You demand? And just who the hell do you think you are? You're my brother Ron. And I love you dearly, but so help me god, if you don't stop trying to play mum, I'm going to hex you into next week." She glared at him once more before spinning around and stalking out of the room.

In her head (she'd never admit it out loud), Hermione was applauding the poor girl for finally standing up to Ron.

'It's about time someone showed him,' she thought. Turning to Harry, she saw he too had a small smile on his lips, and she knew he had been thinking the same thing as her. He smiled fully at her (she almost melted on the spot), and said,

"Care to get going?"

"I'd love to," she replied. She took his extended his hand, and they headed downstairs to the main hall. Upon entering, she gasped as she looked around. In all her years at Hogwarts, she'd never seen look quite as lovely as it was then.

The tables were gone, and the floor was gleaming, as though it had been freshly polished. All around the edges, wreathes of flowers and potted plants met her gaze. From the ceiling hung elegant looking streamers (if that was even possible), and on each wall was a gigantic banner of the house mascot. The lights had been dimmed, and there was soft glow about everything. Looking up, she realized it was from the full moon, shining brightly from the charmed ceiling.

"I must say Hermione," Harry whispered in her ear, "you look lovely in moonlight." She blushed and followed his lead to the groups of tables off to one side of the enormous hall. She sat at one, along with Ron (still fuming over his argument with Ginny) and his girlfriend, Luna, Neville and his date, and one other couple neither of them recognized. She craned her head and caught sight of Ginny seated with Malfoy, off in the corner where they weren't as visible. It appeared they were talking, and from the look on Ginny's face, she was having a wonderful time.

They were having a good time, just talking off in their private little corner. Suddenly, to her complete surprise, he stood and offered her his hand. She glanced up at him, shocked.

"What are you doing?" she asked. "I thought we agreed we weren't doing any of this."

"I'm tired of hiding, Ginny," he said simply. "I'm done. I have nothing to hide, so why are we continuing to sit in the corner? I came here to have a good time, so that's what I'm going to do."

"So did I," she countered. "But what if someone sees us?"

"So what? Let them watch. All they'll see his a happy couple sharing a dance on the dance floor."

"But…but…," she trailed off, clearly hesitant.

"Ginny, please," he whispered, sitting back down next to her. "I…I…I…" He struggled against the block that was building in his throat. "I love you," he said quietly. "And I want the entire world to see it."

She stared at him, feeling her heart begin to beat faster in her chest. He loved her! She wanted to shout it aloud, but she couldn't speak.

"I love you too," she said, finally finding words, and kissed him with everything she had.

"So about that dance?" he asked, finally pulling away. She smiled, eyes shining brightly.

"I'd love to dance with you, Draco," she replied. He pulled her up, and walked, rather boldly, right into the middle of the dance floor. Gathering her in his arms as, conveniently, a slow song began to play. Out of the corner of his eye, he chuckled as he saw Harry, along with several other Gryffindors, struggling to hold Ron back, and he had no doubt why.

He felt Ginny's head shift on his shoulder, and when he glanced down at her, she was looking right up at him, still smiling.

"I love you," she said again. "I love saying that I love you. I could say it forever."

"I love you, too," he replied, feeling his heart swell a little with that last remark. "I suppose I could as well." She smiled broadly and brought her head up several inches to kiss him softly on the lips before returning her head to his shoulder as they continued to sway to the slow beat of the music.

Hermione smiled at the sight of Ginny and Draco dancing in the middle of the hall, and her smile broadened at the sight of Ron being physically restrained in his seat. He'd always had an overprotective streak in him…

Harry returned, wiping the sweat off his brow.

"Didn't think you'd be getting a workout?" she teased. He smirked, and then looked at her more closely.

"You don't seem at all surprised at the sight of those two. Did you know something we didn't?"

"Guilty," she said. "Ginny told me about her and Draco, but she swore me to secrecy. When I make a promise, I keep it."

"I'm glad. I love that you're loyal to your friends," Harry said. She grinned, and accepted the hand he offered. They wandered onto the dance floor, and ended up next to-who else? - Ginny and Draco. Hermione smiled at Ginny, and she returned the smile. Then Ginny mouthed something to her. She didn't catch it the first time around and mouthed back

"What?"

"He said he loves me," she replied, and that time Hermione caught it. She smiled broadly, so happy for Ginny. And for herself. It looked as though things were finally working out- for both of them.

A/N: There, a nice, long chappie to make up for my not writing in…let's just call it a while.

A/N: Don't worry…Krum isn't done yet. I just decided we needed a nice, Krum-free chappie. See you soon y'all (I hope!)


	14. Helpless

A/N: Hey guys, I'm back again! Okay, just for all those Ginny/Draco fans, such as myself, I decided to write a short little ficlet on how it is that they first got together…look for that soon under my penname, Jenalla. Now on with the story…

A/N: I apologize for this, but is being an idiot, and every time I upload my chappie, it deletes these little dividers I had between sections, so I'm sorry if things seem a tad confusing. Just try to follow the best you can…I added extra spaces between them, but I don't know if they'll show or not…

Everything was going so perfectly, just like she'd dreamed it would. No Krum to ruin things tonight. In fact, she hadn't even thought about him all day.

They'd danced most of the night away, to both fast and slow songs. Harry had, of course, claimed that he couldn't dance, but his movements contradicted his words. Her favorite part of the night, though, was waltzing slowly in his arms, head resting on his shoulder as he gracefully led her across the dance floor. In those moments, she'd close her eyes and fantasize about their lives, and whether or not they'd spend them together. Merlin she felt foolish, but she couldn't help it. She was planning their lives away, one fantasy at a time.

At one point or another, she felt her hair drooping slightly, and she realized she was quite sweaty.

"Harry, I'm going to run to the loo. I must look a bloody mess," she said. He smiled at her and shook his head, but released her from his grasp nonetheless. She kissed him softly on the cheek before turning and walking off the dance floor. Grabbing her purse from their table, she exited the hall slowly, not wanting to leave but knowing she should. Determined to be as quick as possible, she broke into a sprint, or at least, as much of a sprint as her high-heeled shoes would allow. She pushed open the door and quickly walked over to the sink, in too much of a hurry to notice that she was all alone, or that the door had not closed completely behind her. Opening her purse, she pulled out her lipstick and re-applied it until it looked as it had before she'd left. Putting it away, she began rummaging around her purse for her compact. Not finding it, she dumped the contents of her purse out on the counter edge. She triumphed as she saw it lying there. Grabbing it, she opened it to re-apply her powder, and that's when she looked in the mirror. His hand on her mouth stifled her scream as his other hand yanked her head back by her hair and pointed his wand at her exposed neck.

"I didn't want to have to do this Hermione," he said softly against her ear. "But you left me no choice. If you'd just listen to me, none of this would have to happen."

"None of what?" she spat out angrily, cursing herself for not being more observant.

"Well, for starters, this," he said and releasing her hair, he quickly smashed her in the back of the head with an object she couldn't see. The last thing she remembered before blacking out was him standing over her, shaking his head as he said,

"I'm sorry Hermione, I really am."

* * *

She awoke in stages, still groggy and her head pounding. Opening her eyes, she immediately wished she hadn't as the bright light magnified the pain in her head. She attempted to reach a hand up to touch her head, but found she couldn't. Tugging, she realized her hands had been bound together behind her. Panicking, she looked down and saw her legs were also bound together, and that she was sitting in a metal folding chair. She tried to stand up, but found that not only were her hands and legs bound together, they were bound to the chair as well.

Faintly, although not sure if it truly was faint or just her head, she could hear the music from the dance, so clearly she hadn't been knocked out for that long. Unfortunately, even if she screamed, the chances were slim that anyone would actually be able to hear her. Looking around, she tried to assess her location in the hopes of figuring out which part of the castle she was in. As she twisted her head this way and that, she caught sight of him sitting off in the corner, smirking at her.

"As I said, I am truly sorry this had to happen Hermione. You should have listened to me, though. I love you, and I know you love me too."

"Well if you love me so much, then why are you doing this?" she sneered. He shrugged.

"You gave me no choice. You refused to listen to me at all, or read any of my letters. I had to get you alone instead of with that stupid Potter boy." Hermione's heart ached at the mention of Harry. Was he worried? Did he realize that she was missing yet? Would he figure out what had happened? She realized her hopes were futile, as there was no chance, even if he did figure it out, that he would ever find her. There were thousands of rooms in the castle, and considering that she didn't even recognize this one, there was probably no chance he'd ever been here either.

"Well now you've got me. What are you gonna do with me?" she taunted.

"Make you listen to me. I know you love me Hermione. You know you do too. So why won't you just let us be together?"

"Because I don't love you. I love Harry. You're nothing to me. You're pathetic. You had to kidnap me to even have me pay attention to you-" She was cut off as his hand made contact with her cheek. Her head whipped to the side as the smack echoed around the empty room. She glared at him angrily, refusing to give in.

"You bitch," he said menacingly. "You do love me! You do!"

"Guess again Krum. I don't love you. As a matter of fact, I don't even like you. You could even say that I hate-" Again, hand met cheek, and her head was once again thrust to the side. She could feel her cheek burn and knew his hand imprint was probably already visible there.

"Don't you say that! Don't you ever say that to me!" His eyes glittered angrily as he spoke.

"Why not?" she asked. "It is the truth afterall." Another slap. She continued to glare at him, anger rising in her. "I hate you."

* * *

Harry glanced around the hall for about the tenth time in the past five minutes. Where was she? She'd only been going to the loo for crying out loud!

"Calm down mate," said Ron, clearly understanding what he was waiting for. "You know girls. They take forever in there!" Harry smiled weakly, although he had the feeling that something was wrong. Hermione wasn't like most girls. She never spent long periods of time in the bathroom. He glanced at his watch again. _Twelve minutes_. She'd been gone for too long. He stood, knowing something was wrong. Looking around the room, he spotted Ginny, off in a corner with Draco. He walked over to them and smiled apologetically.

"Ginny? I'm really sorry to interrupt, but I need you to do me a favor." She nodded, realizing it must be serious. "I'm worried about Hermione. She's been gone too long. Could you just check in the loo for me and make sure she isn't in there?" Ginny nodded, rising, only to be stopped by Draco. She looked back at him as he stood as well.

"What? I'm coming too," he said stubbornly. "You don't honestly think you can just leave me here, now do you?" She shook her head and smiled to herself.

"Lead the way Harry," she said.

They arrived in front of the door, and Ginny went in. She returned in a moment, face pale. Harry's gut clenched as he realized he'd been right. Something was wrong.

"What is it?" he asked, not sure if he really wanted to know.

"Her purse…it's just sitting on the counter. And all her stuff is spilled out," she paused, taking several deep breaths. Draco reached out and squeezed her hand reassuringly. She looked at him and smiled for a minute, before turning back to Harry. "And…I found this on the floor." She brought up her other hand, and held in her fist was a large metal object. Harry grabbed it and scanned it quickly. And then he saw it.

On one corner, so small he'd have missed it had he not been examining the surface closely, was blood. He instinctively knew it was Hermione's. His gut clenched even more and he gritted his teeth. There was only one explanation. Krum.

* * *

She closed her eyes and counted to herself, attempting to control her anger. Lashing out at him wouldn't do any good- he'd just continue to hit her. Merlin knew her cheek was already in enough pain (not that she'd ever tell him that).

"Well? What do you have to say Hermione?" he asked, standing over her, arm raised slightly. She stared at him in silence, refusing to voice the anger boiling in side her. He laughed. "Nothing? Really? That's disappointing. Well let's see if we can't get you to talk a little," he said, and struck her other cheek. Without even giving her a second to breathe, he punched her in the stomach so hard she wanted to keel over and die. Unfortunately, given her current situation, that wasn't really possible. She gasped in pain and began taking deep breaths, trying to replenish her air supply. He smiled, and it scared her. He was sick. He was beating her up, and enjoying it.

"Please…don't do this," she said, truly afraid for the first time. "Stop. You need help. Please, just stop." He leered at her once more before punching her in the face. Her entire body was screaming in pain, from the ropes tying her down as well as from him, but there was nothing she could do about it. She was helpless. Completely and utterly helpless.

'Oh Harry!' she thought as a sob rose in her throat. 'Please- help me. Come find me!'

* * *

"Please! We need to go and find her!" Harry begged Dumbledore. After finding the instrument with the blood, Harry had raced back to the dance, Ginny and Draco trailing behind him. He immediately sought out Dumbledore and explained everything he knew. Dumbledore nodded slowly, and examined the weapon Harry showed him.

"And you're positive it's him?" he asked. Harry nodded furiously.

"I'm sure. There's no one else that would do this to her," he said flatly, knowing it was true. Everyone loved Hermione, and if they didn't, then they didn't care about her one way or another. Unfortunately, Krum fell under the 'love' category…more like he had an unhealthy obsession, but close enough.

"Now, Miss Weasley. You're sure those are Miss Granger's things in the bathroom?" She too nodded in response to his question.

"Yes. We bought matching purses, because we both thought they were so cute. As far as I can tell, we're the only two here with that style, so it can only be hers." Dumbledore nodded again before rising and said,

"Quickly then. Gather as many people as you can and we'll begin a search party. We must only hope that he was not removed her from the school grounds."

* * *

She had no idea how long she'd been sitting there. The music was still playing, so she knew it was before midnight, but that was all. Her arms and legs and long since gone numb, and her back was aching from sitting in such an uncomfortable position for so long.

He'd finally left her alone, to mull over all that he'd said. She didn't know where he'd gone, but frankly, she was just glad he'd left. The silence was a welcome pleasure from the stiff accent of his voice. She sighed aloud, wondering how much longer this would go on. And what would happen when he decided he was finished. Would he let her go? Would he take her away? _Would he kill her?_ She had no doubt that he was capable of it. She'd seen the predatory gleam in his eyes as he'd hit her. Fear overcame her for the first time. She was actually afraid. There was so much left that she had to learn, had to do. She wasn't ready to die and dammit! she wasn't going to!

Not knowing what else to do, she began moving her arms back and forth across the back of the chair in the hopes that they'd catch a sharp edge of the metal and snap. Her arms quickly tired, but she kept going, praying they would break. All the while, all she could think about was Harry, and how much she wished he would walk in, untie her, and just hold her in his arms and tell her everything was okay, and that he'd never bother them again.

She was so deep in her thoughts that although she heard the door open, its sound didn't register to her until he spoke.

"Hello Hermione. Did you enjoy your time alone?"

* * *

Harry was frantic. They'd rounded up Ron and Luna, Dean and his date, Neville and his date, several of Ginny's friends from her year, and, to Harry's dismay, Crabbe and Goyle (they, of course, had no dates). They'd quickly divided into small groups and strode off to different parts of the castle. Ginny and her friends divided into two groups and agreed to search the Gryffindor tower and the Astronomy tower. Ron, Luna, Dean and his date agreed to search the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff towers. Neville and his date reluctantly agreed to search the Slytherin tower with Crabbe and Goyle. That left Harry…and Draco.

Draco opened his mouth, and Harry held up his hand and said,

"Save it Malfoy. Whatever little joke you have, just save it. I am not in the mood. Don't think I won't hex you, because right about now, I'm game for anything. Now let's go. We're going to search the dungeons." They walked off for the dungeons.

After searching through seven corridors, which consisted of over fifty rooms, they were both lagging a bit.

"Jesus," Malfoy muttered, although Harry heard him. "You'd think they'd make a map of Hogwarts or something. This is ridiculous." Map?! Of course! Why hadn't he thought of it before?

"Accio Maurader's Map!" Harry bellowed, wand out. He waited several seconds, aware that Draco was staring at him as if he had two heads. Then he heard it. The sound of parchment, hurtling through the air. He looked in the direction it was coming from, and there it was. His map.

He grabbed it anxiously out of the air, tapping it with his wand and muttering the magical words that began its magic. He unfolded it impatiently, searching for her dot. Thankfully, since the dance was still in progress, the majority of the students' dots were in there. He began scanning the folds for any dots not in the hall. There were those of Ginny and her friends, of Ron's group, Neville's group, as well as him and Draco. But there wasn't one for her. _Where was she?!_

He groaned in frustration. Where was she? He was about to flip to another section when two dots caught his eye. Squinting closer, he read the names. It was her! He'd found her! Glancing at the room where she was, he saw that it wasn't far from them. He took off sprinting, leaving a very confused Malfoy with no choice but to follow. Turning corners blindly, he followed the map until he was outside a wooden door. It was closed, and after testing it, locked.

He blasted it with spells, with every unlocking spell he knew. Finally, he heard the lock click and the door creak as it opened a crack. Grabbing it, he threw it open before racing in, wand raised, ready for battle, if necessary.

"Hermione!"

A/N: Aren't I evil, leaving you with such a cliffie like that? Guess you'll just have to tune in next time to see what happens next. =]


	15. Happy Ending

A/N: First of all, I would like to apologize for taking so long to write this chappie. I've had a ridiculously long case of writer's block…not that that's really much of an excuse, but anyway…

Secondly, I'd like to thank each and every one of you for bearing with me for so long. This was my first published work, although not the first completed one, and you have no idea how much your encouragement and positive reviews mean to me…

So, with a final tear, on with the last chappie!

Chapter 15- Happy Ending

Hermione's head shot up at the sound of the voice. It was Harry! He'd found her!

"Harry!" she sobbed out, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Harry's heart wrenched at the sight of her, strapped helplessly to the chair, tears pouring down her face, mascara streaks evidence of all the tears she'd already shed. Then anger took over. How dare he do this to her!

"Where is he Hermione?" he bit out between clenched teeth. Before she could answer him, though, a voice piped up from the corner.

"Looking for me?" Krum asked, an evil grin on his face as he appeared out of the darkness. "Because you're just the man I was looking for."

"Let her go Krum," Harry said, struggling not to whip out his wand and hex him into oblivion right then and there. "This is between you and me."

"Well, actually, it's between me and her, but it's nice of you to stop by," Krum leered.

"No, see, that's where you're wrong. Hermione is the woman I love, and therefore anything she's involved in involves me," Harry said. Krum scowled at him, although only for a second.

"Aww, how sweet," Krum mimicked. "Harry coming to the rescue of his one true love. It's almost enough to make me want to be ill."

"Please do," Harry spat out. Krum shot him another look, and quick as a flash, he was behind Hermione, wand at her neck.

"Don't push me Potter," he said, his tone clearly showing he wasn't kidding. "Don't make me kill her." Hermione was still as a stone, save for the tears still flowing down her cheeks. Her eyes were on Harry's, trying to communicate with him, although he didn't understand what she was trying to tell him.

"Harry…" Malfoy said from behind him, shocking Harry for a moment. He'd forgotten Malfoy was with him.

"Malfoy, go get Dumbledore. Here, take the map, he'll understand how to use it," Harry said shoving the map at Malfoy, never taking his eyes off Hermione, and more importantly, Krum. Taking several steps forward, he tried again.

"C'mon Krum, don't do this. You know you don't want to do this," he said.

"Oh, but don't I?" he asked. "She won't be with me, and by killing her, no one else will be able to have her either." Krum's eyes conveyed a cold-bloodedness that made Harry shiver, for he had no doubt that Krum was more than capable of killing her. From the look in his eyes, he had a suspicion that it wasn't his first time, either. But he didn't really want to think about that at the moment. All he could afford to concentrate on was saving Hermione's life.

* * *

Malfoy ran through the twisting and turning hallways, trying to follow the sound of the music. Eventually, he found the hall again and burst inside. Scanning the room, he found Professor Dumbledore speaking with Professor Snape, and from the looks of his face, he had the feeling he knew what they were talking about. Sprinting across the room, he reached them and quickly told them everything he had seen.

"Here," he added, handing the map to Dumbledore. "Potter said you'd know what to do." Dumbledore began flipping through the pages, much in the same manner as Harry had only minutes before, until he found what he was looking for.

"Quickly," he said. "Professor, you come with me. Mr. Malfoy, round up the rest of the search parties and meet us down in the dungeons as quickly as possible. We're going to need as much help as possible. I trust you'll be able to find your way back?" Malfoy nodded, and they went their separate ways, each knowing the importance of their task.

* * *

Harry was struggling to maintain his composure. He'd never felt so helpless in life, and it was absolutely killing him. There was Hermione, _his_ Hermione, just seconds away from possible death, and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it! He didn't want to risk reaching for his wand, for fear of what Krum would do if he spotted him. And even if he used the element of surprise and pulled it out, he didn't think he'd be fast enough to prevent Krum from doing the damage anyway.

"Just keep him talking," he told himself. "Malfoy went to get Dumbledore, so just keep him talking until Dumbledore gets here." Unfortunately, it was as if Krum had read his mind.

"Let's quit the chitchat," he said, more a threat than a suggestion. He cut Hermione loose and pulled her up to stand, wand still at her throat.

"Why don't we take a walk, _love_, " he added, goading Harry. Cutting his eyes to Harry, he said, "And don't even think about following us, or I'll kill her." Harry didn't know what to do. Did he risk letting him out of his sight? Or did he try and stop Krum now and risk her life? Knowing there was only one choice he could make, he stepped aside, allowing Krum to leave. He looked at Hermione, praying she understood that his decision was for her own wellbeing. She had tears in her eyes, and as she passed by him, she whispered,

"Good bye Harry. I love you." Harry's heart broke at the thought that this might be the last time he ever heard those words come from her mouth. Determination set in, and he again evaluated his options. Realizing that there was another choice that he hadn't considered before, he set out behind them, careful to keep at least a hallway's length behind them. Thankfully, he was able to keep track of them through Krum's talking.

* * *

"They're moving," Dumbledore said. "They're getting closer to us." He had his eyes trained on the map.

"What do we do?" Ginny asked nervously.

"We wait," he replied.

* * *

Harry trailed them through the hallways, back the way he came. He could tell they were getting closer to the hall as the music steadily grew louder. Hopefully, they were also moving closer to Dumbledore and the rest of the search party.

He heard the voice stop and quickly ceased moving himself. There was a sudden crash followed by a yell of surprise. Praying that it had been Dumbledore, he came out from behind the corner, arm raised, wand grasped tightly in his hand. The sight before him was one that brought great relief.

There was Krum, under the watch of Dumbledore, and Hermione crying with Ginny. She saw Harry and threw herself at him. He held her as she sobbed into his chest, stroking her hair and back and whispering words of comfort in her ear.

"It's okay love. We did it. It's over," he said, not sure whether he was trying to reassure her or himself. It didn't matter. It was over. They had survived.

* * *

They were all dressed up, with their caps and gowns. Dumbledore was calling names as the crowds clapped. It was graduation.

"I can't believe it's already graduation," Harry whispered to Hermione. "It hasn't felt like it's been seven years at all."

"I know," his girlfriend replied, tears welling up in her eyes. "I'm going to miss this place. It's been like a second home to me."

"We all will. But don't worry…I know someplace else that will feel like home to you," Harry added with a wink. "I just found this great flat, if you're interested…"

"You mean, like live with you?" she asked. He nodded, and she squealed softly. "Harry, of course I'd love to live with you!" He smiled and kissed her softly. She sighed and said, "I feel like I'm living my own fairytale, complete with my perfect happy ending."

"Well I should bloody hope so," Harry said. "Because you're my princess." She giggled and he kissed her again. Breaking apart, he pulled her in for a hug, thanking Merlin for giving him this beautiful girl.

Fin

A/N: Aww…I think I'm going to cry. I've had so much fun writing this!

I just want to thank every single person that reviewed this story for me, and also for sticking with me, even when I didn't update for months…thank you all so much! If I could, I'd hug each and every one of you guys! Unfortunately, I can't, so I'll have to settle for thanking you all one last time…thanks guys!


End file.
